Whatcom sees two new COVID-19 cases Sunday; state warns about fall surge

Two more Whatcom County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Health reported Sunday, Nov. 8. The state doe not report deaths on the weekend.

Whatcom County now has seen 1,696 confirmed cases and 51 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. That means that 3.0% 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 113 hospitalizations (an increase of one from Saturday) and 85,312 tests have been performed (an increase of 336 from what was reported Saturday).

St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported to The Bellingham Herald on Sunday that it was treating seven patients for COVID-19, an increase of two from Saturday. It’s the first time since Sept. 16 that the hospital has reported seven COVID-19 patients.

The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard last reported Friday for data as of 11:59 p.m. Thursday. It showed that Whatcom County is making two 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 46.6.

▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 256.0. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 230.8.

▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 2% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 1.1%.

▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 80% of all licensed hospital beds occupied by patients with 94.5% 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 2.0% reported by the state.

Western Washington University’s most recent on-campus student COVID testing data shows that, since Sept. 15, WWU has tested 7,171 students, six of whom had positive tests.

Washington state concerns

The Washington State Department of Health, in a news release Saturday, said statewide COVID-19 case numbers “reflect an overall surge that started in mid-September and are very troubling as we head into darker, colder months, the holidays and respiratory virus season.”

Those numbers include 1,777 new COVID-19 cases Saturday and more than 1,000 new cases in a day last week for the first time since mid-summer.

The fall surge shows no signs of stopping, the release said, and has erased the progress made this summer. It noted that this week the United States broke two records in as many days: more than 100,000 cases reported on Wednesday and more than 116,000 on Thursday.

“COVID-19 is currently spreading very quickly in Washington state,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “We are very concerned that disease transmission will only grow over the next few weeks with the holidays coming up. The threat to overwhelming not just our hospital systems, but our ability to do contact tracing, is real. We need everyone in Washington state to take action now to stop the spread.”

“These increases reflect the impact of our collective decisions and behavior. Each one of us needs to take immediate action to avoid new restrictions and prevent our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed,” said Deputy Secretary of Health for COVID-19 Response Lacy Fehrenbach. “We are all tired and want to spend time with loved ones during the holidays and continue progress toward safely reopening schools, but high community rates increase the risk of every single activity we do, and unfortunately, the virus does not get tired or take holidays. We know what works to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and we’ve flattened our curve before. We must push through the fatigue and redouble our efforts to contain the virus.”

The department suggested these steps as the holidays approach:

▪ “Limit in-person gatherings as much as you can. That means reducing the number of times you gather, how many people attend and how long you spend together. Gather outside if possible, or open windows and doors to maximize ventilation inside.

▪ “Always wear a face covering when you’re around people who don’t live with you. This includes close friends and family. It may feel awkward to do this around people we know well and trust, but many people get COVID-19 from someone who doesn’t have symptoms yet. Even if you’re keeping some physical distance, it’s still a good idea to wear a face covering.

▪ “Talk to your family and friends about alternate ways to celebrate the holidays. Brainstorm ideas for virtual celebrations so you can still enjoy spending time together without putting each other at risk.

▪ “Make a safety plan for in-person gatherings. Have a conversation with your family and friends about what you’re going to do to reduce risk of spreading COVID-19 when you gather.

▪ “Stay home if you’re sick or have been exposed to COVID-19. If you’re feeling a little under the weather but aren’t sure if you’re getting sick, take the cautious approach and protect others by staying home.

▪ “Keep up your good hygiene habits. Wash or sanitize your hands often and avoid touching your face.”

Numbers elsewhere

COVID-19 cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Sunday afternoon:

▪ The U.S. has more than 9.95 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and 237,561 deaths.

▪ Worldwide, there are more than 50.2 million reported cases and 1.25 million deaths.

In Washington state, the most recent numbers from the Department of Health were reported Sunday afternoon:

▪ 117,331 reported cases, an increase of 1,320 from data on Saturday.

▪ 8,803 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of eight from data Saturday.

▪ 2,612,198 total tests, an increase of 19,432 from data Saturday.

▪ Deaths are not reported on the weekend, but 2,439 deaths related to COVID-19 were reported Friday, eight more than were reported Thursday, meaning that 2.1% 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 November 8, 2020 at 4:12 PM.