Whatcom County reports no new coronavirus cases or deaths for consecutive days
For the second straight day and the third time in six days, the Whatcom County Health Department reported no new positive tests for COVID-19 or any more deaths related to coronavirus on Friday, May 22.
It marks the first time Whatcom County has not seen an increase in either number in consecutive days since March 11-12 — the first two days after the county reported its first positive test.
The county remains with 364 confirmed cases and 32 related deaths, according to health department statistics.
The health department also reported 50 negative test results on Friday, bringing the county’s total to 4,712 — meaning 92.8% of tests reported in Whatcom County have come back negative.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported Friday that it is treating one COVID-19 patient but has no other patients suspected of having coronavirus.
Shuksan Healthcare Center, the Bellingham nursing facility that was the site of a coronavirus outbreak announced March 22, reported Thursday that it is still treating four residents for coronavirus. All four patients were admitted to the facility after they tested positive for COVID-19.
Shuksan reported it currently has 25 other residents, many of whom have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19 during the initial outbreak, which spread to 31 residents and 23 employees and resulted in 10 deaths.
The Washington State Department of Health reports that Whatcom County has had 50 coronavirus-related hospitalizations during the pandemic. However, St. Joseph hospital reported to The Bellingham Herald on Thursday, May 22, it has had 58 hospitalizations to date.
More than 5.1 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 335,000 deaths as of Friday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 1.5 million confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — with at least 95,276 deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health reported 19,117 cases, 1,044 deaths and 3,156 coronavirus-related hospitalizations as of Thursday evening. Approximately 5.5% of all confirmed cases in the death have resulted in death, while 6.3% of the 302,927 of the tests have come back positive for COVID-19.
Phased re-opening
Fourteen Washington state counties, including Whatcom, Skagit and King, remain in Phase 1 of the state’s phased approach to re-opening businesses and modifying physical distancing measures.
Under Phase 1, high-risk populations are encouraged to stay home, some outdoor recreation (hunting, fishing, golf, boating and hiking) is allowed, but no public gatherings are allowed and only travel deemed essential is allowed. Businesses permitted to operate in Phase 1 include: essential businesses, existing construction projects, landscaping, automobile sales, curbside retail pickup, car washes and pet walkers.
Twenty-five counties have moved or are moving to Phase 2, which allows more outdoor recreation, gatherings of up to five people, limited non-essential travel and more businesses to open, though restrictions still remain.
Kittitas County’s application is on pause until Tuesday, May 26, due to an outbreak investigation.
To apply for a variance, counties must have an average of less than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period. With 35 confirmed cases in the past 14 days and a population of more than 229,000, according to 2019 U.S. Census estimates released Thursday, Whatcom County is averaging 15.3 new cases per 100,000 people the past 14 days.
The application process requires support from the local health officer, the local board of health, local hospitals, and the county commission/council.
Each county must demonstrate they have adequate local hospital bed capacity as well as adequate PPE supplies to keep health care workers safe. The application must include plans for:
▪ Making testing available and accessible to everyone in the county with symptoms.
▪ Staffing case investigations and contact tracing.
▪ Housing people in isolation or quarantine who can’t or don’t want to do so at home.
▪ Providing case management services to those in isolation and quarantine.
▪ Responding rapidly to outbreaks in congregate settings.
The variance requests are reviewed by the secretary of health, who can approve the plans as submitted, approve with modifications or deny the application. If circumstances change within the jurisdiction, the variance can be revoked.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 12:14 PM.
