Whatcom wraps up worst month yet with 81 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, state reports
Whatcom County has 81 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Washington State Department of Health on Thursday, Dec. 31. No new deaths were recorded.
The state reported case counts may include up to 750 duplicates in Washington.
Overall, Whatcom County has seen 3,469 confirmed cases and 55 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30. That means that 1.6% of the Whatcom residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Nine additional 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.
The state Department of Health data Thursday also showed Whatcom County has had 183 hospitalizations, an increase of one since Wednesday’s report.
The state reported that a total of 128,034 molecular tests have been administered in Whatcom County during the pandemic — an increase of 1,898 tests from Wednesday’s report. The state continues to caution that test data from Nov. 21 to Nov. 30 are incomplete.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Bellingham Herald on Thursday that it was treating 15 patients for COVID-19 — a decrease of two from Wednesday.
Worst month yet
For the first time during the pandemic, Whatcom County exceeded 1,000 new confirmed cases reported in a calendar month with 1,083 new cases reported in December.
Whatcom County averaged 34.93 new cases per day reported during the month of December — 35% higher than the previous daily average high of 25.87 set in November.
The county’s case total climbed 45.38% in December, as it’s reported cases increased from 2,386 on Nov. 30 to 3,469 reported Thursday.
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 November and 15 times in December.
On the positive side, the county’s reported death total related to COVID-19 increased by only two during the month of December, matching the lowest total Whatcom saw in any month during the pandemic.
Shelter reports another case
Another person connected with Base Camp, which offers shelter and services to the homeless, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to operator Lighthouse Mission Ministries.
The person, who was homeless, tested positive this week, the ministry said in a news release on Thursday.
That brings to five the number of confirmed cases associated with Base Camp, 1530 Cornwall Ave. in Bellingham, since Nov. 28, when Lighthouse Mission was notified of its first known positive case at the shelter.
Lighthouse Mission Ministries was notified Wednesday morning as part of the weekly COVID-19 testing conducted by the Whatcom County Health Department, according to the release.
“We continue to be grateful to the Whatcom County Health Department for its support in helping make sure that Base Camp is a safe place for people experiencing homelessness,” Reeves said in the release.
On Wednesday, the person who tested positive and their identified close contacts were taken to the former Motel 6 that is serving as a COVID-19 isolation and quarantine facility on Byron Avenue.
The ministry also has turned to rapid COVID-19 testing to help screen people being admitted to Base Camp in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It’s part of a process that includes symptom screening and temperature checks.
Whatcom’s risk assessment
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard Thursday evening for data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday 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 190.0.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 molecular testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 423.1. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 328.1. The state Department of Health has said that testing data from Nov. 21-30 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 3.2%. The state Department of Health has said that testing data Nov. 21-30 is incomplete and that is likely impacting this metric.
The latest Healthcare System Readiness risk assessment dashboard, updated Thursday evening for data through Wednesday, shows for the North region, which combines Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties:
▪ Occupied beds: 1,078 of the region’s 1,107 adult hospital beds (97.4%) were occupied, missing the state’s goal of 80% or less.
▪ COVID occupied beds: 182 of the region’s 1,107 adult hospital beds (16.4%) were occupied by COVID patients, missing the state’s goal of 10% or less.
▪ Occupied ICU beds: 100 of the region’s 125 adult ICU beds (80.0%) were occupied. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it was an increase of 10 from Wednesday’s report.
▪ COVID occupied ICU beds: 37 of the region’s 125 adult ICU beds (29.6%) were occupied by COVID patients. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it was an increase of two from Wednesday’s report.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Thursday afternoon:
▪ The U.S. has more than 19.94 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and 345,182 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 83.33 million reported cases and 1.81 million deaths.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Thursday afternoon:
▪ 237,165 confirmed cases, an increase of 4,172 from reported cases on Wednesday.
▪ 9,587 probable cases, an increase of 250 from Wednesday’s data.
▪ 14,748 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 177 from data Wednesday.
▪ 3,836,820 total molecular tests, an increase of 31,430 from Wednesday’s data.
▪ 3,461 deaths related to COVID-19, an increase of 41 deaths from data reported Wednesday meaning that 1.4% of the state residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Washington state actions
State rules that eliminated indoor service at restaurants and bars, closed indoor activity at gyms, and limited occupancy at retail stores to 25% were extended Dec. 30 from Jan. 4 to Jan. 11.
Gov. Jay 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 31, 2020 at 4:49 PM.
