After crushing the record in November, Whatcom starts December with 83 new COVID cases
Whatcom County saw 83 more residents test positive for COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Health reported on Tuesday, Dec. 1, but no new deaths related to coronavirus were reported.
Whatcom County now has seen 2,469 confirmed cases and 53 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30. That means that 2.1% of the Whatcom residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
The 83 cases reported Tuesday were the county’s second-highest single-day total during the pandemic, trailing only 88 reported Nov. 24.
On Monday, the state delayed when it plans to resume reporting negative test data until Friday, Dec. 4, as it attempts to catch up from the surge in testing data.
The state Department of Health data Tuesday did show Whatcom County has had 143 hospitalizations (an increase of one from Monday).
The Lummi Tribal Health Center reported four new cases late Monday, bringing the total number of cases in the Lummi community during the pandemic to 117. The Lummi community had 39 cases in November and 53 since Oct. 1.
As of Monday, the Lummi health department reported it had 21 active cases, but no hospitalizations. During the pandemic, four people have been hospitalized, but there have been no related deaths and the health center has conducted 2,784 tests.
The Lummi Indian Business Council moved the community back into Phase 1 of its Shelter in Place Order until at least Dec. 15.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Bellingham Herald on Tuesday that it was treating 21 patients for COVID-19 — a new record, topping the mark of 18 set Nov. 23.
Record November
Whatcom County averaged 25.87 new cases per day during the month of November — far and away a new record and nearly triple the previous high of 8.77 set in July.
The county’s case total climbed 776 during the 11th month, as it increased from 1,610 cases on Halloween to 2,386 reported Monday.
Before November, the county’s record for most cases reported in a day was 33 on June 24 — a mark that was surpassed 10 times in the past month.
On the positive side, only three deaths related to COVID were reported in November, which was the lowest total the county has seen since it had two in August.
Whatcom’s risk assessment
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard was updated Tuesday for data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday. It showed that Whatcom County is missing the marks on two 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 216.6.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 325.1. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 290.8.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 2% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 2.9%.
Here is what the latest Healthcare System Readiness risk assessment dashboard, which was last updated Tuesday for data through Monday, shows for the North region, which combines Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties:
▪ Occupied beds: 1,010 of the region’s 1,292 adult hospital beds (78.2%) were occupied, meeting the state’s goal of 80% or less.
▪ COVID occupied beds: 133 of the region’s 1,312 adult hospital beds (10.1%) were occupied by COVID patients, missing the state’s goal of 10% or less.
▪ Occupied ICU beds: 90 of the region’s 140 adult ICU beds (64.3%) were occupied. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but one more bed is occupied than in Monday’s report.
▪ COVID occupied ICU beds: 39 of the region’s 140 adult ICU beds (27.9%) were occupied by COVID patients. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but six more beds are occupied than in Monday’s report.
Deli closes after positive
Old World Deli announced via Facebook Tuesday that it will temporarily be closing after it had a positive COVID-19 test. The post did not say whether an employee or customer had tested positive, but that the deli would close “immediately until we are deemed safe to open.”
The Deli reported that it is following health department protocols and that all employees will get tested and begin quarantining. The deli also reported it will professionally disinfect and clean the interior before reopening.
“We are so grateful for our community and look for your continued support and joint commitment in keeping Bellingham as safe as possible. We’ll be back as soon it’s safe to do so!” the post read.
Whatcom COVID testing
People who are not showing COVID-19 symptoms and have not likely been exposed to someone with COVID should not go to the emergency department at St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham to be tested, Whatcom Unified Command spokesperson Amy Cloud told The Bellingham Herald in an email Tuesday.
“There are other accessible testing options within Bellingham,” Cloud wrote, “the ED should be reserved for those with critical healthcare needs, or its capacity could be overburdened and impact essential care.”
Among the options to get tested for COVID in Whatcom County is the low-barrier mobile testing program available at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden, which is open five days a week, including Saturdays.
Numbers elsewhere
COVID-19 cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Tuesday afternoon:
▪ The U.S. has more than 13.6 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and 270,369 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 63.6 million reported cases and 1.4 million deaths.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Tuesday:
▪ 167,216 reported cases, an increase of 2,197 from data on Monday.
▪ 10,920 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 25 from data Monday.
▪ 2,805 deaths related to COVID-19, an increase of 31 from Monday, meaning that 1.7% of the state residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Bellingham schools meal boxes
Bellingham Public Schools announced that beginning Dec. 2, it will return its weekly meal box distribution to Wednesdays. Boxes will be available for pick up Dec. 2, 9 and 16 at the 21 regular locations, according to a district release.
The Dec. 16 box will contain 21 meals to cover the winter break, and it will include a soup recipe created by the Central Kitchen and Common Threads and ingredients to cook it, the release states.
There will be no box distributions Dec. 23 and 30, according to the release, but the Bellingham Food Bank will continue to operate during the holidays. Additional support is also available through the Family Resource Center at 360-676-6456.
Washington state actions
Gov. Inslee announced rules Sunday, Nov. 15, that 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 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.
