Whatcom County sees 26 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death as state reports return after three days
One more Whatcom County resident has died after testing positive for COVID-19 and 26 more cases for the respiratory illness were reported in the county by the Washington State Department of Health Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The state was unable to report data for three days, so the death and case numbers include information since Saturday, Oct. 10.
The county now has seen 1,474 confirmed cases and 49 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12. That means that 3.3% of the Whatcom residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
The state Department of Health data also shows Whatcom County has had 103 hospitalizations (an increase of one from Saturday) and 70,500 tests have been performed (an increase of 1,944 from Saturday).
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard updated Tuesday, for data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, and showed that Whatcom County is making three 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 56.4.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 232.7. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 193.3.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 2% 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 patients with 72.2% 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 0.8% reported by the state.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported to The Bellingham Herald on Tuesday that it was treating two patients for COVID-19, up from one on Monday.
Western Washington University’s most recent on-campus student COVID testing data shows that since Sept. 15, WWU has tested 3,567 students, four of whom had positive tests.
Ferndale playgrounds to reopen
Ferndale playgrounds, including Star Park, Cedar Creek, Flair, Oxford and Vista Ridge parks, will open with COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, Oct. 16, the city announced Tuesday in a news release.
The move was made, the release states, after consulting with local public health experts and neighboring cities, but the parks will not be sanitized or cleaned beyond “regularly scheduled maintenance.”
“For the playgrounds to safely reopen, we ask that all users observe social distancing as much as possible, wash their hands frequently and wear a mask,” said Mayor Greg Hansen. “The greatest danger is people gathering in groups with people outside their household.
“All users of the park who are 5 years or older are required to wear a mask while on the playground and those who are 2 to 4 are strongly recommended to wear a mask.”
If there is an outbreak, Hansen said the city “may need to revisit the decision.”
Numbers elsewhere
COVID-19 cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Tuesday evening:
▪ The U.S. has more than 7.85 million reported cases, the most of any nations, and 215,818 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 38.03 million reported cases and 1.08 million deaths.
In Washington state, the most recent numbers from the Department of Health were reported Tuesday afternoon:
▪ 94,775 reported cases, an increase of 1,7405 from data on Saturday.
▪ 7,874 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 88 from data Saturday.
▪ 2,123,908 total tests, an increase of 62,470 from data Saturday.
▪ 2,211 deaths related to COVID-19 were reported, an increase of 21 from data Saturday. That means that 2.3% of the state residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Phased reopening
Gov. Inslee on Tuesday, Oct. 13, moved all counties in modified Phase 1 to Phase 2, but his July 28 extension of an indefinite pause on counties moving ahead in the Safe Start Washington plan remains in place. That came a week after Inslee loosened some restrictions for activities and businesses.
That means 22 counties — including Whatcom — are in Phase 2 and 17 counties are in Phase 3.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 6:02 PM.
