Whatcom sees 16 new COVID cases Thursday, six months from the county’s first case
Sixteen more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Whatcom County, according to the Washington State Department of Health on Thursday, Sept. 10. No new deaths were reported.
Whatcom County now has had 1,167 confirmed cases during the pandemic, according to state Department of Health data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9. The data also shows Whatcom County has had 89 hospitalizations and completed 53,251 tests in total.
The state also reported Thursday that Whatcom County has had 39 total related deaths, meaning 3.3% of people diagnosed with the new coronavirus have died.
Thursday marked six months since Whatcom County announced that it had its first confirmed case of COVID-19. The county’s first coronavirus-related death was announced on March 19. Since then, the county has announced single-day highs of 34 new confirmed cases on March 23 and six related deaths on April 6.
A Whatcom County web posted noted that “Each time you make a decision and take action to slow the spread of COVID-19, no matter how small the action is, you are creating a safer community.”
It also noted the practices it promotes to staying healthy:
▪ “Keep gatherings small: no more than five people outside of your household.
▪ “Gather outside rather than inside.
▪ “Wash your hands well and often.
▪ “Wear your mask while in public.
▪ “Maintain at least six feet of physical distance between yourself and others.”
The most recent data from the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard was also reported Thursday and shows Whatcom County missing one of four 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 33.7.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 203.9. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 174.8.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of 2% or less 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 occupied by non-COVID-19 patients with 63.9% 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 2.7% reported by the state.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported to The Bellingham Herald on Thursday that it was treating seven patients for the second day in a row.
Numbers elsewhere
COVID-19 cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Thursday afternoon:
▪ The U.S. has more than 6.39 million reported cases, the most of any nations, and 191,702 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 27.99 million reported cases and 906,122 deaths.
In Washington state, the Department of Health reported Thursday afternoon:
▪ 78,467 reported cases, an increase of 458 from Wednesday.
▪ 6,993 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 27 from Wednesday.
▪ 1,597,987 tests recorded, an increase of 14,084 from Wednesday.
▪ 1,985 deaths, an increase of 7 from Wednesday, indicating 2.5% of people with confirmed cases have died.
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.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 4:05 PM.
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