Whatcom reports only one new positive test for coronavirus and no deaths Monday
The Whatcom County Health Department reported Monday, April 13, that one more resident has tested positive test for COVID-19 — the smallest increase in the number of cases the county has seen in nearly a month.
No new deaths linked to the new coronavirus were reported by the health department Monday, as that number stayed at 23.
Whatcom’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases grew to 264 after increasing by only two on Sunday, April 12.
The last time the county reported one or fewer new cases was in mid-March, when there was one new case on March 18 and none on March 19. The county total reported on those dates was just seven positive tests.
Nearly 1.9 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 118,304 deaths as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 568,000 confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — with at least 22,935 deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health reported 10,538 cases and 516 deaths as of Monday evening.
Shuksan reports another death
A 10th resident who tested positive for COVID-19 at Shuksan Healthcare Center died on Saturday, April 11, the Bellingham nursing home reported Sunday.
The resident was in their 70s, according to a Shuksan release.
The Whatcom County Health Department on March 22 announced an outbreak of new coronavirus at the Bellingham nursing home, and 10 residents have since died. An 11th person, who was formerly a resident at Shuksan, died at home 10 days after they were released, and a test that came back a day after their death positive for COVID-19.
Based on information released Friday by Shuksan, the facility now has 28 residents, 24 of whom have tested positive for coronavirus. Two residents have tested negative for COVID-19, one has refused testing and another has inconclusive test results.
On Sunday, the health department announced that a total of 263 county residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 23 have died.
As no deaths were reported by the health department over the weekend or on Monday, the latest death at Shuksan would mean there have been at least 24 deaths in the county with links to coronavirus.
WCC: Whatcom Community College is reporting that it has had five confirmed COVID-19 cases on its campus, according to the school’s website. No other information about the most recent person to test positive was provided. The school previously reported that three employees at the Health Professions Education Center had tested positive.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 8:32 AM.
