Whatcom County reports three more positive test results Monday, but no new deaths
Three more Whatcom County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, according to statistics released Monday, May 11, by the Whatcom County Health Department, but no new deaths linked to coronavirus were reported.
The county now has had 336 confirmed cases of the respiratory illness, the health department reports, and 32 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have died.
The health department also reported 73 more negative test results Monday, bringing the total to 3,215.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported to The Bellingham Herald Monday that it is treating one COVID patient and one other suspected of having coronavirus.
More than 4.1 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 284,000 deaths as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 1.3 million confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — with at least 79,825 deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health reported 16,891 cases and 931 deaths Sunday evening.
Last week’s deaths
At least four of the five deaths reported by the county health department last week were associated to nursing or long-term care facilities in the county, Whatcom Unified Command spokesperson Claudia Murphy told The Herald in an email.
Which facilities was not included in the information, and The Herald has asked for information about a fifth death announced on Friday, May 8.
At least 23 of the 32 coronavirus-related deaths Whatcom County has reported have been associated to nursing facilities in the area.
The four deaths reported Thursday, May 8, all were people 80 or older — two men and two women.
According to statistics on the health department website, all 32 coronavirus-related deaths in the county have been people 60 or older. Meanwhile, 42.6% of the confirmed cases the county has seen are 60 or older, according to the statistics.
“Sadly, our most vulnerable populations are impacted greatly by the illness caused by the virus, and the more we remain vigilant the more we slow the spread,” Murphy wrote, adding it’s best, “to keep in touch (virtually) with loved ones in our greatest generation.”
Though four deaths were reported Thursday, there are sometimes delays in when they are reported to the health department, Murphy said, and the four deaths actually happened over a span of several days.
But, Murphy added, the recent deaths should remind Whatcom residents that “the virus is present in our community and that it is still imperative for our citizens to abide by the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.”
