Whatcom sees 3 more deaths related to COVID-19, but new case count dips to 11 Thursday
Whatcom County saw its number of deaths related to COVID-19 rise by three on Thursday, Dec. 3, the Washington State Department of Health reported, but the number of new cases in the county increased by only 11.
Whatcom County now has seen 2,556 confirmed cases and 56 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3. That means that 2.2% of the Whatcom residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
The three deaths equal the total number seen in the month of November and are the first the county has seen related to COVID-19 since one was reported Nov. 23. Whatcom also had three deaths reported on Oct. 3, but it’s highest reported total during the pandemic was seven on June 3.
No other data regarding age, gender or location of those who died were released Thursday.
On the positive side, the 11 new cases was the lowest number of cases Whatcom has seen since Nov. 18, when the Department of Health made a correction and Whatcom’s number of confirmed cases actually decreased by two. Excluding that report, its is the lowest number reported since the county saw two on Nov. 8.
That is particularly good news, considering the county had 159 new cases reported Tuesday (83) and Wednesday (76), combined.
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 Thursday did show Whatcom County has had 150 hospitalizations (an increase of seven from Wednesday).
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Bellingham Herald on Wednesday that it was treating 18 patients for COVID-19 — unchanged from Wednesday and down three from Tuesday’s record high of 21.
COVID spread in Whatcom
The Whatcom County Health Department plans to release detailed analysis of where exposures in the county are occurring soon, Whatcom Unified Command spokesperson Amy Cloud told The Bellingham Herald in an email Thursday.
“Our epidemiologist is reviewing a full month’s worth of data, which provides a better picture of what’s going on than a weekly snapshot,” Cloud told The Herald. “However, what we have seen in reviewing case and contact interview data from the first half of November (Nov. 1-18) is that social events and household exposure are still the top two settings for exposure.”
Cloud said it is still too early to determine how big an impact Thanksgiving gatherings will have on Whatcom County’s case numbers, though the health department hopes to have those numbers next week.
“We really can’t predict trends going forward however, at this time our numbers show no signs of slowing down,” Cloud reported.
Whatcom’s risk assessment
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard was updated Thursday for data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. 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 232.6.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 324.6. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 289.5.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 2.0% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 3.0%.
Here is what the latest Healthcare System Readiness risk assessment dashboard, which was last updated Thursday for data through Wednesday, shows for the North region, which combines Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties:
▪ Occupied beds: 1,045 of the region’s 1,237 adult hospital beds (84.5%) were occupied, missing the state’s goal of 80% or less.
▪ COVID occupied beds: 127 of the region’s 1,257 adult hospital beds (10.1%) were occupied by COVID patients, missing the state’s goal of 10% or less.
▪ Occupied ICU beds: 98 of the region’s 138 adult ICU beds (71.0%) were occupied. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but four more beds were occupied than in Wednesday’s report.
▪ COVID occupied ICU beds: 35 of the region’s 138 adult ICU beds (25.4%) were occupied by COVID patients. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but one fewer bed is occupied than in Wednesday’s report.
Numbers elsewhere
COVID-19 cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Thursday afternoon:
▪ The U.S. has more than 14.1 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and 276,088 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 65.1 million reported cases and 1.5 million deaths.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Thursday:
▪ 172,437 reported cases, an increase of 2,095 from data on Wednesday.
▪ 11,195 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 241 from data Wednesday.
▪ 2,900 deaths related to COVID-19, an increase of 50 from Wednesday, meaning that 1.7% of the state residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Updated quarantine guidelines
The Washington State Department of Health announced in a release Thursday that it is adopting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new quarantine guidelines for people who been exposed to COVID-19.
Although the Department of Health and CDC still recommend a full 14-day quarantine, that period can be shortened:
▪ To 10 days if the person has no symptoms.
▪ To seven days if the person has no symptoms and receives a negative test within 48 hours of ending the quarantine.
Though the quarantine period can be shortened, the release cautioned that transmission is still possible post quarantine.
“Therefore, it is critical that the person who has been in quarantine continues to monitor their symptoms and wear a mask through Day 14,” the release states. “If they develop symptoms, they should isolate themselves to avoid infecting others and get tested.”
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.
