State reports 22 new positive COVID-19 tests in Whatcom County Tuesday
Twenty-two more Whatcom County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the Washington Health Department reported on Tuesday, June 23. No new deaths were reported for the county.
The state numbers apparently caught up with cases Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach noted at the Bellingham City Council Monday evening, June 22.
The county now has 521 confirmed cases and continues to have 40 deaths during the pandemic — meaning 7.7% of people diagnosed with the new coronavirus in Whatcom have died — according to state department of health data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday.
The state also reports the county has 52 hospitalizations and has conducted 15,684 tests, with 3.3% returning positive results.
The most recent data from the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard is from Monday, and shows Whatcom County missing one of five Phase 2 metrics goals:
▪ Whatcom is missing the target rate of fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents every 14 days with a rate of 32.
▪ Whatcom is meeting the target rate of more than 50 individuals tested for each new confirmed case the past week with a rate of 53.6.
▪ Whatcom is meeting the target of less than 1.9% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 1.9%.
The state noted that it will not update hospital bed capacity numbers on the Risk Assessment Dashboard until Tuesday, June 23, posting on the website that “a change in the way the beds are being counted now requires hospitals to fill out forms in a new way. New language from the CDC is prompting this change.”
▪ Whatcom was making the target of less than 80% of all licensed hospital beds being occupied before the state change.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 10% of all licensed hospital beds being occupied by COVID-19 patients before the state change.
St. Joseph hospital reported to The Bellingham Herald Tuesday that it has one patient who has tested positive. The hospital is no longer tracking on its daily dashboard the number of patients suspected of having COVID-19 because test results are now available much more quickly.
U.S. and Washington state
More than 9.1 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with at least 474,572 deaths as of Tuesday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has 2,341,632 confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — and at least 121,157 related deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health Tuesday evening reported 29,386 cases (an increase of 516), 1,284 deaths (an increase of 8) and 4,067 coronavirus-related hospitalizations (an increase of 5). Approximately 4.4% of all confirmed cases in the state have resulted in death, while 6% of the 487,059 tests administered have come back positive for COVID-19.
Phased reopening
Whatcom County was approved Friday, June 5, to move to Phase 2 under new benchmarks announced May 29, by Gov. Jay Inslee. Whatcom can’t apply to move to Phase 3 until at least Friday, June 26. However, Health Director Erika Lautenbach told the Bellingham City Council in an online meeting Monday night that the county is not ready to apply for Phase 3 this week.
Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman approved Kittitas County to move to Phase 3 on Tuesday. That leaves three counties are in Phase 1, two counties in a modified version of Phase 1, 18 counties — including Whatcom — are in Phase 2 and 16 counties are in Phase 3.
Phase 2 enables retail firms to resume in-store purchases, restaurants to reopen with 50% capacity and table sizes no larger than 5, and the re-start of new construction, real estate, hair and nail salons, and barbers.
Phase 3 allows restaurants/taverns to reopen at 75% capacity with table sizes no larger than 10, as well as bar areas in restaurants/taverns at 25% capacity, movie theaters at 50% capacity, and libraries and museums.
Safety precautions
Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday that facial coverings will be mandatory in public across the state.
According to the governor’s office, a public health order from Secretary of Health John Wiesman will take effect Friday, making masks mandatory in indoor or outdoor public places, with some exceptions.
Some people are exempt from the requirement: people who are deaf or hard of hearing, while they’re communicating, and children under the age of 2. Children ages 3 to 5 are not required to wear facial coverings, but it’s strongly recommended.
A Peace Health safety campaign says that to “continue to protect ourselves, our families and our communities, we must stay the course by strictly following health and safety precautions, in alignment with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
“Wear a mask: To show respect for others as well as prevent the spread of COVID-19, wear a face-covering around others. Avoid touching your mask.
“Practice physical distancing: Whenever possible, remain at least 6 feet apart.
“Use proper hygiene: Clean hands often throughout the day using hand sanitizer or vigorous hand washing. Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue or inside of your elbow when coughing or sneezing.
“Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
“Stay home if you are sick: If you are experiencing symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat or loss of taste or smell, please call your healthcare provider’s office before arriving or scheduling an appointment to determine the appropriate care setting and testing process.”
