Whatcom County reports one new coronavirus death Monday, one new case of the illness
One more resident who tested positive for COVID-19 has died and there is one new confirmed case, the Whatcom County Health Department reported on Monday, April 20.
Whatcom’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases grew to 278, and the number of deaths to 27.
In Whatcom County, seniors 60 and older make up 46.2% of confirmed cases of COVID-19, but all 27 deaths of those who have tested positive have been 60 or older, according to data from the Whatcom County Health Department.
Also on Monday, the county health department said it received about 1,000 test kits that may have had quality control issues and were recalled.
On Saturday night, the state Department of Health recalled about 12,000 kits after UW Medicine said their use should be stopped because the fluid that preserves nasal swabs after they’ve been used on patients for testing were an unusual color, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
The discoloration in a small number of the vials holding the fluid hasn’t affected test results and isn’t believed to have posed a danger to patients.
As a result, the state Department of Health on Saturday night recalled approximately 12,000 kits sent to local health jurisdictions, tribal nations and state agency partners across the state.
More than 2.4 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 169,900 deaths as of Monday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 783,200 confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — with at least 42,094 deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health reported 12,085 cases and 652 deaths as of Monday evening.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 12:48 PM.
