Whatcom sees six new COVID-19 cases, as only one region has weekly infection rate drop
Six more Whatcom County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Health reported Tuesday, Oct. 20, but no new deaths were reported.
The county now has seen 1,524 confirmed cases and 49 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19. That means that 3.2% 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 105 hospitalizations (an increase of one from Monday) and 74,746 tests have been performed (an increase of 553 from Monday).
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard, updated Tuesday, for data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, 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 52.8.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 242.3. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 235.6.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 2% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 1.7%.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 80% of all licensed hospital beds occupied by patients with 71.8% 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 1.6% reported by the state.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported to The Bellingham Herald on Tuesday that it was treating four patients for COVID-19, an increase of one from Monday.
Western Washington University’s most recent on-campus student COVID testing data shows that, since Sept. 15, WWU has tested 4,608 students, five of whom had positive tests.
Whatcom COVID location
Only one Whatcom County school district region saw its infection rate decrease last week, according to the latest location data published by the Whatcom County Health Department. Two regions saw significant increases.
The health department releases data on the location of COVID-19 positive tests by school district and, published new data on its website the number of total cases and infection rates for the past two weeks through Oct. 10.
Here is what the latest data showed for the seven regions in the county:
Bellingham: Up 4.0% (25 cases) since Oct. 12 to 645 total cases and the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 33 to 44.
Blaine: Up 6.5% (six cases) since Oct. 12 to 98 total cases and the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 51 to 57.
Ferndale: Up 5.2% (15 cases) since Oct. 12 to 304 total cases and the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 42 to 78.
Lynden: Up 1.0% (two cases) since Oct. 12 to 206 total cases and the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 64 to 74.
Meridian: Up 3.8% (four cases) since Oct. 12 to 110 total cases and the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 19 to 65.
Mount Baker: Up 1.7% (one case) since Oct. 12 to 60 total cases and the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days Increased from zero to six.
Nooksack Valley: Up 2.2% (two cases) since Oct. 12 to 94 total cases and the rate of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 decreased from 72 to 27.
Race and ethnicity data
For the second straight week, the percentage of Whatcom County COVID-19 cases impacting people identifying as white increased, according to the latest data released by the Whatcom County Health Department Monday. People identifying as black were the only other group to see an increase last week.
Here is what the latest data through Oct. 20 shows:
▪ White, non-Hispanic: 57.6% of cases, up from 56.3% on Oct. 12 (represents 78.7% of Whatcom’s total population).
▪ Hispanic: 29.5% of cases, down from 30.4% from Oct. 12 (represents 9.5% of Whatcom’s total population).
▪ American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 4.9% of cases, down from 5.0% from Oct. 12 (represents 2.5% of Whatcom’s total population).
▪ Multiracial, non-Hispanic: 2.4% of cases, down from 2.5% on Oct. 12 (represents 3.6% of Whatcom’s total population).
▪ Asian, non-Hispanic: 2.1% of cases, down from 2.2% on Oct. 12 (represents 4.3% of Whatcom’s total population).
▪ Other race, non-Hispanic: 2.0% of cases, unchanged from Oct. 7 (represents 0.0% of Whatcom’s total population).
▪ Black, non-Hispanic: 1.2% of cases, up from 1.1% on Oct. 7 (represents 1.0% of Whatcom’s total population.
▪ Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: Suppressed (represents 0.3% of Whatcom’s total population).
Approximately 17% of all cases do not have a known race or ethnicity.
‘Fall surge’ has arrived
The Washington State Department of Health is seeing COVID-19 case numbers increase at “an alarming rate,” according to a release Tuesday, prompting health officials to proclaim that the expected “fall surge” may be upon us.
The state reports seeing cases in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties trending upward.
“When this happens, we place everyone, but particularly our elders, parents, grandparents and those with diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other chronic disease at great risk,” Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman said in the news release. “A surge in COVID-19 along with flu season puts us at enormous risk of overwhelming our hospital systems and undoing other important statewide progress toward containment.”
The “fall surge” is not a problem limited to Western Washington, according to the release — nationwide numbers are heading back up to at or beyond peak levels. The cases are climbing not because of localized outbreaks, but widespread transmission.
To help stop the transmission in Western Washington the Department of Health called on everyone to:
▪ Wear a mask, even with people you regularly see in your small social circles or share transportation with.
▪ Keep social gathering small and hold them outside when possible.
▪ Avoid indoor gatherings, but if you do participate, wear a mask and make sure windows and doors are open to maximize ventilation.
▪ Wash or sanitize your hands and avoid touching your face.
▪ Stay home if you are sick or believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19.
“It’s time to flatten the curve again,” State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said in the release. “I’m optimistic we can get our kids in school, keep our businesses open, and control the spread of COVID-19 if everyone does their part.”
Numbers elsewhere
COVID-19 cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Tuesday afternoon:
▪ The U.S. has more than 8.12 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and 220,921 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 40.5 million reported cases and 1.1 million deaths.
In Washington state, the most recent numbers from the Department of Health were reported Tuesday afternoon:
▪ 99,150 reported cases, an increase of 489 from data on Monday.
▪ 8,124 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 47 from data Monday.
▪ 2,252,788 total tests, an increase of 8,452 from data Monday.
▪ 2,282 deaths related to COVID-19, an increase of 24 from Monday — meaning 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 20, 2020 at 4:53 PM.
