Whatcom has 42 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, state says Wednesday
Whatcom County has 42 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and continues to have nine probable cases, according to the Washington State Department of Health on Wednesday, Dec. 23. No new deaths were reported for the county.
Whatcom County now has seen 3,230 confirmed cases, and 52 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22. That means that 1.6% of the Whatcom residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Nine probable cases have been reported in Whatcom County during the pandemic resulting from positive antigen tests, but those cases were not confirmed by a molecular test.
On Wednesday, Dec. 16, the state added probable cases reported since June 2020 to all case, hospitalization, and death counts. “Probable cases are those where individuals had a positive antigen test result for COVID-19, but no positive molecular test result,” according to the state Health Department website.
The state Department of Health data Wednesday also showed Whatcom County has had 171 hospitalizations, no change since Tuesday’s report.
The state noted on its dashboard Wednesday: “Data on hospitalizations and COVID-like illness hospitalizations are incomplete today due to an interruption in the data reporting processes.”
The state reported that a total of 108,695 molecular tests have been administered in Whatcom County during the pandemic — an increase of 2,387 tests from Tuesday’s report. The state continues to caution that “test data from Nov. 21 through today are incomplete and should be interpreted with caution.”
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Bellingham Herald on Wednesday that it was treating eight patients for COVID-19 — a decrease of two from Tuesday.
Larsen tests positive
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
The congressman, who represents the second district that includes part of Whatcom County, made the announcement on Twitter on Wednesday saying he had tested positive the day before.
“Yesterday, I received a positive test result for the COVID-19 virus. I am quarantining in accordance with CDC guidelines and am not experiencing any symptoms. I am prepared to vote by proxy in the coming days if the House schedules votes,” Larsen said on Twitter.
In an email, spokesman Joe Tutino said Larsen found out after a routine test at the U.S. Capitol. He will quarantine for 10 days from the date of the positive test, per CDC guidelines.
Bellingham library resumes pickup
The Bellingham Public Library has resumed its curbside pickup at its main location downtown, library officials announced on Tuesday.
The service was suspended earlier in December amid tensions at the homeless encampment on the lawns of the library and City Hall, according to a previous Bellingham Herald article.
“The temporary pause allowed us to create a fire protection buffer at the Central Library (downtown) and to reaffirm that all of our health and safety protocols are accurate and up to date,” the library said in its announcement to patrons.
A fire was set in a tent on the library lawn, near the building, on Dec. 5. It spread to nearby tents. Propane tanks exploded as well, although no one was hurt.
The library is at 210 Central Ave.
State eviction moratorium extended
Gov. Jay Inslee Wednesday announced in a news release that he will extend the COVID-19 eviction moratorium to March 31, 2021. The current eviction moratorium was set to expire on Dec. 31.
“COVID-19 has had a significant financial impact on Washingtonians over the last nine months,” Inslee said. “I know this moratorium has been critical for many families and individuals as they cope with the impacts of this virus. People need certainty about whether the moratorium will be extended, and it is important that I provide that certainty today while we work out the final details of the moratorium.”
The news release said details are expected next week.
Whatcom getting Moderna vaccines
Whatcom County is receiving 4,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine this week, the Washington State Department of Health announced Wednesday.
Those doses were among the COVID-19 vaccines distributed by the state — for a total of 44,850 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 127,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Of that total, the state said:
▪ 153,925 doses were distributed to more than 220 sites in 37 counties.
▪ 18,825 doses were distributed to support long-term care facilities as well as 14 tribes and urban Indian health programs.
It wasn’t immediately known what groups in Whatcom County received the Moderna doses.
Last week, frontline health workers at PeaceHealth’s St. Joseph hospital and Lummi Nation were the first in Whatcom County and among the first in the state to receive doses of the Pfizer vaccine — the first vaccine available.
Combined, they received 1,275 doses.
“Over the next several weeks, there will continue to be a limited supply of vaccine,” the state said Wednesday in a news release. “In early 2021, we hope to move to a consistent pattern of ordering and delivery, to continue the growth of COVID-19 vaccine availability in Washington state.”
Whatcom’s risk assessment
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard on Wednesday for data as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday 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 215.3.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 molecular testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 93.5. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 296.2. The state Department of Health has said that testing data since Nov. 21 is incomplete and that is likely impacting this metric.
▪ 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 14.8%. The state Department of Health has said that testing data since Nov. 21 is incomplete and that is likely impacting this metric.
The latest Healthcare System Readiness risk assessment dashboard, updated Wednesday for data through Tuesday, shows for the North region, which combines Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties:
▪ Occupied beds: 768 of the region’s 1,205 adult hospital beds 63.7%) were occupied, making the state’s goal of 80% or less.
▪ COVID occupied beds: 127 of the region’s 1,205 adult hospital beds (10.5%) were occupied by COVID patients, missing the state’s goal of 10% or less.
▪ Occupied ICU beds: 95 of the region’s 140 adult ICU beds (67.9%) were occupied. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it was an increase of 13 from Tuesday’s report.
▪ COVID occupied ICU beds: 22 of the region’s 140 adult ICU beds (15.7%) were occupied by COVID patients. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it was an increase of two from Tuesday’s report.
Numbers elsewhere
COVID-19 cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Wednesday afternoon:
▪ The U.S. has more than 18.4 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and 325,520 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 78.55 million reported cases and 1.72 million deaths.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Wednesday evening:
▪ 221,695 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,111 from reported cases on Tuesday.
▪ 8,507 probable cases, an increase of 204 from Tuesday’s data.
▪ 13,617 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 27 from data Tuesday. The state noted Wednesday that hospitalization data is incomplete.
▪ 3,620,650 total molecular tests, an increase of 30,191 from Tuesday’s data.
▪ 3,162 deaths related to COVID-19, an increase of 31 from Tuesday’s data, meaning that 1.4% of the state residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Washington state actions
Gov. Inslee announced rules 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.
Those restrictions were originally scheduled to last until Dec. 14, but on Dec. 8, Inslee announced they have been extended another three weeks to Jan. 4.
Inslee issued a travel advisory for Washington state on 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 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 December 23, 2020 at 7:17 PM.
