Whatcom sees 9 new coronavirus cases Monday and 2 regions with dramatic increases
Two regions in Whatcom County saw their confirmed cases of COVID-19 nearly double over the past week and a half according to new geographical data released Monday, June 8, by the Whatcom County Health Department.
Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Health reported Monday that the number of Whatcom County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 grew by nine as of the latest data released 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 7.
The regions of the county covered by the Meridian and Nooksack Valley school districts now have the county’s highest rates of infection per 100,000 residents, according to the health department data.
Between May 28 (when geographic data was last released) and Monday, the number of confirmed cases in the area covered by the Nooksack Valley School District increased by 12 to 26. The region now has a rate of 235 infections per 100,000 people.
The Meridian School District, meanwhile, increased by 13 confirmed cases over the same period and now has had 27 confirmed and a rate of 251 infections per 100,000 people — the county’s highest.
The two districts had the two lowest rates on May 14, when the county first began releasing geographic data. Elsewhere in the county, Monday’s data showed:
▪ Bellingham: Has seen six new cases since data was last reported and now has 204 cases and a rate of 181 per 100,000 residents.
▪ Blaine: Has seen two new cases since data was last reported and now has 32 cases and a rate of 182 per 100,000 residents.
▪ Ferndale: Has seen no new cases since data was last reported and remained at 56 cases and a rate of 167 per 100,000 residents.
▪ Lynden: Has seen no new cases since data was last reported and remained at 34 cases and a rate of 168 per 100,000 residents.
▪ Mount Baker: Has seen six new cases since data was last reported and now has 177 cases and a rate of 177 per 100,000 residents.
Whatcom’s COVID-19 statistics
The county now has 419 confirmed cases and 37 deaths during the pandemic — meaning 8.8% of people diagnosed with the respiratory illness in Whatcom have died — according to state department of health data as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 7.
The state also reports the county has 53 hospitalizations and has conducted 12,103 tests, with 3.5% returning positive results.
Also Monday, the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard now shows:
▪ Whatcom is making the target rate of fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents every 14 days with a rate of 17.8.
▪ Whatcom is making the target rate of more than 50 individuals tested for each new confirmed case the past week with a rate of 67.3.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 2% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 1.5%.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 80% of all licensed hospital beds being occupied with a rate of 66.0%.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 10% of all licensed hospital beds being occupied by COVID-19 patients with a rate of 0.8%.
St. Joseph hospital reported to The Bellingham Herald Monday that it has two patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and two other awaiting test results.
More than 7 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 405,000 deaths as of Monday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has nearly 1.9 million confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — and at least 110,932 related deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health Monday afternoon reported 24,041 cases (an increase of 312), 1,161 deaths (an increase of two) and 3,699 coronavirus-related hospitalizations (an increase of 30). Approximately 4.8% of all confirmed cases in the state have resulted in death, while 5.9% of the 410,290 tests administered have come back positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 by race
The county health department also released updated coronavirus data by race and ethnicity on Monday, and it showed residents identifying as Hispanic continue to be affected at a disproportionate rate.
As of Monday’s data, Hispanics account for 23% of all COVID-19 cases in Whatcom County — up from 18% the last time data was reported on May 30. The county reports that only 9% of its residents identify as Hispanic.
American Indian/Alaska Native residents held steady at 12% of the county’s coronavirus cases, though only 3% of the county identifies as being that race or ethnicity.
Whites also continue to represent 69% of all COVID-19 infections, though 82% of the county identifies as white.
The health department continued to suppress the percentages for Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and black residents who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 because it said the numbers are too small.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
