Whatcom County sees 43 more COVID cases Thursday, state reports
Whatcom County has had 43 more residents test positive for COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Health reported on Thursday, Nov. 19, but no new deaths were reported.
Whatcom County now has seen 1,983 confirmed cases and 52 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18. That means that 2.6% of the Whatcom residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
With 373 new cases reported in November, the county already has seen more positive tests this month than in any other month during the pandemic — the previous high being 272 in July.
The county also has averaged 29.6 cases per day over the past week — the highest weekly average it has seen throughout the pandemic.
The state Department of Health data Thursday also shows Whatcom County has had 122 hospitalizations (an increase of two from Wednesday) and 93,521 tests have been performed (an increase of 895 from what was reported Wednesday).
The Lummi Public Health Department on Wednesday evening reported that it had three more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the Lummi community to 94. The Lummi community now has 16 cases so far in November and 30 since Oct. 1. Because of those increases, the Lummi Indian Business Council earlier this week moved the community back into Phase 1 of its Shelter in Place order, encouraging those at-risk or who are sick to stay home, prohibiting indoor gatherings and limiting outdoor gatherings and limiting travel for community members.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Bellingham Herald on Thursday that it was treating 10 patients for COVID-19, an increase of two from Wednesday. That matches the highest recorded number of COVID-positive patients the hospital has had during the pandemic, last seen on July 23.
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard was updated Thursday for data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday and showed that Whatcom County is missing the marks on three of four key 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 71.0.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 297.1. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 276.4.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 2% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 2.2%.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 80% of all licensed hospital beds occupied by patients with 85.1% 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 3.9% reported by the state.
Border closure officially extended
Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair announced Thursday in a tweet that the closure of the border between the U.S. and Canada has officially been extended another month until Dec. 21.
“Our decisions will continue to be based on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe,” Blair said in the tweet.
The two countries first agreed to close the border to non-essential travel beginning March 21, and have extended that restriction on a month-by-month basis. Blair’s announcement officially marks the eighth such extension.
The closure was last extended Oct. 19 and was set to expire Saturday. Tourists and cross-border travel is currently prohibited, while commerce, trade, and vital health workers are among those allowed to cross between the two countries.
Wednesday’s decrease
Whatcom County’s number of confirmed cases Wednesday dipped to 1,940 after it was reported at 1,942 a day earlier.
The state Department of Health has been responsible for publishing daily data since June 2.
“COVID-19 surveillance data are stored in the Washington Disease Reporting System and updated regularly with exposure details, changes in address or jurisdiction, diagnostic and routine test results, dates of death, and other case information entered over time,” Department of Health spokesperson Michelle Osmanli told The Bellingham Herald in an email. “Given the dynamic nature of these data, totals reported for a specific day are not static and often change slightly in the days and weeks that follow.”
The good news, Osmanli added, “is that the data are getting more accurate with time, not less!”
Bellingham schools update
A class at Birchwood Elementary School has returned to remote learning after there was one confirmed COVID-19 case associated with that class, Bellingham Public Schools confirmed to The Bellingham Herald on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
No other cases have been associated with Bellingham Public Schools, spokesperson Dana Smith told The Herald Thursday.
Smith also said the district has not announced any new plans to bring more students into classrooms, “but we are continuing to plan for next steps of bringing more students and staff back, following our safety protocols and guided by our local health authorities.”
Whatcom County Health Officer Dr. Greg Stern has advised area schools to put a pause on bringing middle and high school students back to class due to the increase in cases and Gov. Jay Inslee’s stricter restrictions.
Vaccine distribution plan
The Washington State Department reports that it continues to make progress on its COVID-19 vaccination plan and hopes it will have a safe, effective vaccine available before the end of the year, according to a release Thursday.
“This week we heard encouraging news about a second COVID-19 vaccine candidate. We are excited that there are potentially two very effective vaccines close to being ready for approval,” the release stated.
The Department of Health began enrolling vaccine administrators earlier this month, and so far reports it has received 375 applications. Six sites have been approved, though the release has not said which sites have been approved, and most applications are still being processed.
“Estimates on the amount of doses we will receive have varied. We do not have new information from the federal government about our allocation or timing for receiving vaccine,” the release states. “We also do not have information on how often we will continue to get additional doses.”
Numbers elsewhere
COVID-19 cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Thursday afternoon:
▪ The U.S. has more than 11.6 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and 252,290 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 56.7 million reported cases and 1.35 million deaths.
Thursday afternoon Washington state also reported these numbers from the Department of Health:
▪ 137,411 reported cases, an increase of 1,987 from data on Wednesday.
▪ 9,653 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 31 from data Wednesday.
▪ 2,856,474 total tests, an increase of 21,002 from data Wednesday.
▪ 2,603 deaths related to COVID-19, 11 more than were reported Wednesday, meaning that 1.9% of the state residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Washington state actions
Gov. Inslee announced new rules Sunday, Nov. 15, that will go into effect statewide this week that will eliminate indoor service at restaurants and bars, close indoor activity at gyms, and limit occupancy at retail stores to 25% in an effort to curb the dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in Washington state.
The restrictions are scheduled to last four weeks, until Dec. 14.
Inslee issued a travel advisory for Washington state on Friday, Nov. 13, recommending Washington state residents self-quarantine for 14 days when they return home after traveling out of the state. The governors of Oregon and California joined Inslee in making similar advisories for their states.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, Inslee 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 19, 2020 at 4:42 PM.
