Coronavirus surge in north Whatcom County appears to slow, latest data shows
The north Whatcom County surge in new COVID-19 cases seems to have slowed, according to new data released by the Whatcom County Health Department Monday afternoon, July 6.
The health department breaks down the county’s confirmed coronavirus cases by school district on a near-weekly basis to show which areas are seeing the disease spread.
In the latest statistics, which were through Sunday, July 5, the Ferndale, Lynden and Meridian district — all areas that have seen new cases spike in recent weeks — saw only single-digit growth rates since numbers were last released on June 30.
That decrease mirrors what the county, as a whole, has seen, as Whatcom County Health Department Director Erika Lautenbach said last week it appears the county may be on the back end of a second surge it saw in mid-June.
Here is what the latest data showed for Whatcom’s school districts:
Bellingham: Increased by 19 cases (7.3% growth) to 280 total. Bellingham now has the county’s second-lowest infection rate per 100,000 residents with 249.
Blaine: Had the county’s highest growth rate last week at 15.4%, as the district saw six new cases and now has 45. Blaine is seeing 256 cases per 100,000 residents.
Ferndale: Saw its growth rate slow to 8.7% since June 30 after seeing double-digit growth the previous three weeks, as the district saw eight new cases and now has 100. Ferndale is seeing 299 cases per 100,000 residents.
Lynden: After seeing growth rates of at least 37% the past three weeks, the district’s rate slowed to 5.3% with six new cases and a total of 120. Lynden still has the county’s highest rate per 100,000 residents at 593.
Meridian: Saw four new cases, which gave it 56 total cases and 7% growth since June 30 — a big improvement from the 62.5% growth rate it saw the previous week. Meridian is averaging 520 cases per 100,000 residents.
Mount Baker: Increased by one case (a 3.1% growth) and now has 33 total cases. Mount Baker continues to have the county’s lowest number of cases per 100,000 residents with 209.
Nooksack Valley: Increased by five cases (13.2% growth) and now has 43 total. Nooksack is averaging 388 cases per 100,000 residents.
Race and ethnicity
Race and ethnicity of Whatcom County residents testing positive for COVID-19 also were updated Monday.
Hispanic residents, who can be of any race, now represent 25% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county — down from 27% on June 30 — though 9% of the county identifies as Hispanic.
According to the health department data, 72% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Whatcom County are white residents — up from 70% on June 30 — though 82% of the county’s population identifies as white.
Meanwhile, 7% of confirmed cases are for residents who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native — down from 9% on June 30 — though those races represent only 3% of the county’s population.
Data was not provided for Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or Black in Whatcom County, though combined those races comprise only 7% of the county’s population combined.
The remaining 11% of the county’s coronavirus cases were listed as “other” in the health department’s data.
