Whatcom sees 20th coronavirus-related death and three more positive tests Wednesday
A 20th Whatcom County resident who tested positive for COVID-19, the new coronavirus, has died, according to information released Wednesday, April 8, by the Whatcom County Health Department.
No other information on the most recent death was available.
The health department also reported three more positive tests for COVID-19, meaning 241 Whatcom County residents have now tested positive for the respiratory illness.
Whatcom’s first death from coronavirus — a man in his 60s — was reported on March 19.
Whatcom Unified Command, the multi-governmental agency that’s directing local pandemic response, so far has released the age and gender of 18 of the county’s 20 deaths. All 18 of those deaths have been residents 60 or older, with 15 of them 80 or older. Eleven have been men.
Because the health department is not a healthcare provider, it does not collect information on the number of Whatcom County residents who have recovered from the illness, unified command spokesperson Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Whatcom Community College President Kathi Hiyane-Brown announced Wednesday, April 8, that a fourth person associated with the college has tested positive for coronavirus. The person is a part-time hourly employee, and their health status was unknown, Hiyane-Brown said during a trustees meeting. The three other people with confirmed cases, which were announced March 27, March 31 and April 2, are recovering and did not need to be hospitalized, Hiyane-Brown said.
More than 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 86,900 deaths as of Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 404,000 confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — with at least 13,829 deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health reported 9.097 cases and 421 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
COVID-19, the new coronavirus, is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Click the drop-down icon in the upper right of this card for more information on symptoms and how to stop its spread.
What you can do
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
▪ Keep six feet between yourself and others when in public.
▪ Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
▪ Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with hands that haven’t been washed.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands.
▪ Stay home if you feel sick. Avoid others who are sick.
▪ If your symptoms are severe and require medical care, call your doctor first.
This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 12:15 PM.
