Whatcom County sees four more COVID-19 cases, state reports Sunday

Four more people have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Washington State Department of Health on Sunday, Aug. 23. No new deaths were reported.

Whatcom County now has had 1,054 confirmed cases and 39 deaths during the pandemic, according to the state. The new numbers mean 3.7% of people diagnosed with the new coronavirus in Whatcom have died — according to state Department of Health data as of 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22.

The state also reported Sunday that Whatcom County has had 82 hospitalizations.. The state did not release the number of total tests or the percent positive of those tests because it is changing the way it counts tests, according to an Aug. 12 news release. While the previous method reflected the total number of unique individuals who have been tested, the new method due the week of Aug. 24 will count every test completed, the release read.

The most recent data from the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard, reported on Friday, Aug. 21, shows Whatcom County missing four 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 42.6.

▪ Whatcom is missing the target rate of more than 50 individuals tested for each new confirmed case the past week with a number of 32.6.

▪ Whatcom is missing the target of 2% or less of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 3.1%.

▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 80% of all licensed hospital beds occupied by non-COVID-19 patients with 91.4% reported by the state.

▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 10% of all licensed hospital beds being occupied by COVID-19 patients with 0% reported by the state.

St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported to The Bellingham Herald on Sunday that it was not treating any patients for the new coronavirus for the fifth day in a row.

U.S. and Washington state

More than 23.3 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 806,543 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has over 5.69 million confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — and at least 176,756 related deaths.

Overall, the Washington State Department of Health Sunday afternoon reported 71,012 cases (an increase of 417), 1,863 deaths (an increase of 6) and 6,530 coronavirus-related hospitalizations (an increase of 30). Approximately 2.6% of all confirmed cases in the state have resulted in death. The state did not release the number of total tests or the percent positive of those tests.

Programs for special needs children

The Whatcom Center for Early Learning and Opportunity Council are still providing intervention programs and check-in sessions to special needs children during the pandemic.

Services are being provided through phone calls or video conferences to meet children and parents in their homes. Some of the services provided include speech therapy, feeding and nutrition support, physical and occupational therapy, specialized instruction and more.

“It is important that parents understand how essential these services are and that they begin early. Oftentimes children just need a little boost to help them start eating, talking or walking like their typically developing peers,” Early Learning Center Director Sierra James said in a news release.

The Whatcom County Early Support for Infants and Toddlers Program is still accepting referrals for children aged birth to three years old who may be experiencing developmental delays. Referrals can be made to Single-Entry Access to Services line at 360-715-7485.

Phased reopening

Gov. Inslee July 28 extended the pause indefinitely on counties moving ahead in the Safe Start Washington plan.

Five counties remain in a modified version of Phase 1, 17 counties — including Whatcom — are in Phase 2 and 17 counties are in Phase 3.

Phase 2 allows restaurants and taverns to operate at half capacity with table occupancy limited to five people. However, there can be no indoor seating at bars and taverns. Additionally, hair and nail salons and barber shops are allowed to resume business with some restrictions, and retail stores can reopen for in-store purchases at 30% capacity.

It also allows additional outdoor recreation and gatherings with no more than five people outside of a person’s household. However, facilities such as pools and arcades are still not allowed. Movie theaters, libraries, museums, nightclubs, live entertainment and any kind of large gathering are also not allowed.

Phase 3 allows gyms and movie theaters to operate at half capacity and restaurants to increase capacity to 75%. A prohibition on bar seating at restaurants and taverns was added in this phase earlier in July.

This story was originally published August 23, 2020 at 4:06 PM.