Report shows Whatcom COVID-19 deaths, cases associated with long-term care facilities
A total of 163 COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths in Whatcom County have been associated with long-term care facilities as of Aug. 10, according to a new Washington State Department of Health report.
That represented nearly 16.5% of the county’s confirmed cases, which totaled 989 as of that date, according to information from the state.
Two months ago, those numbers were 145 COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths in Whatcom County associated with long-term care facilities as of June 1.
That represented 36% of the county’s confirmed cases, which totaled 401 at the time, and all of the deaths at that point, according to a previous Bellingham Herald story.
The most recent data show that the deaths associated with long-term care facilities now make up nearly 77% of the 39 deaths related to the new coronavirus in Whatcom County.
Long-term nursing homes and the elderly, who were at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness, were at the forefront of concern the early days of the pandemic.
More recently, a wave of cases in Whatcom County and elsewhere in the state and nation are being seen in younger people, and social gatherings have been a concern.
A total of 351 people ages 20 to 39 years old have tested positive for the new coronavirus and 11 have been hospitalized, although none have died, according to the most recent data from the Whatcom County Health Department. The number of confirmed cases is nearly 35.5% of the county’s total caseload.
State report
The state said the cases included residents, employees and visitors. Not all were exposed at a long-term care facility.
“Many cases visited multiple places during their exposure period, and some individuals may have visited a (long-term care) facility after disease onset,” the state says in its report.
Long-term care facilities include nursing homes, assisted living spaces or adult family homes, according to the report.
The report didn’t name the facilities in Whatcom County or in the rest of the state. The period it covers goes back to February. The data, which is preliminary, is broken down by county.
Confirmed cases are attributed to the county in which people live, not the county in which the facility they are associated with is located, the report states.
Statewide, a total of 6,090 COVID-19 cases and 951 deaths have been associated with a long-term care facility as of Aug. 10, according to the report. Of the total number of cases, 200 are pending confirmation.
The numbers represent 10% of total cases and 56% of total deaths respectively in the state as of that date, according to the report.
