Holiday hangover? Whatcom smashes single-day record with 171 new COVID cases Thursday
Whatcom County smashed a record it had no interest in ever approaching, as the Washington State Department of Health reported 171 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, Jan. 7.
While that matched the 171 new cases the state Department of Health reported four days earlier, the cases reported Sunday, Jan. 3, represented three days of data — an average of 57 cases per day — following the New Year’s holiday and no data being released Saturday due to a processing error by the state.
Whatcom’s previous single-day record for reported cases was 88 on Nov. 24 — approximately half of Thursday’s reported total.
Fortunately, no new COVID-related deaths in Whatcom County were reported by the state Thursday.
Overall, Whatcom County has seen 3,933 confirmed cases and 56 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. That means that 1.4% of the Whatcom residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Whatcom County Health Department Director Erika Lautenbach said during an online briefing Wednesday that Whatcom hadn’t yet begun to see an expected post-holiday surge from families and friends getting together to celebrate, but Thursday’s data release — 13 days after Christmas — signals Whatcom’s holiday hangover may have arrived and it likely will be significant.
Eleven additional probable cases — unchanged from Wednesday’s report — 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 209 hospitalizations, an increase of four from Wednesday’s report.
The state reported that a total of 130,887 molecular tests have been administered in Whatcom County during the pandemic — an increase of 331 tests from Wednesday’s report.
The state cautioned that case counts Thursday may include up to 550 duplicates statewide and that negative test results from Nov. 21-30 and since Dec. 23 still may be incomplete and that test positivity rates and case counts should be interpreted with caution.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Bellingham Herald on Friday it was treating 19 patients for COVID-19, unchanged from Thursday.
The Nooksack Indian Tribe announced in a Facebook post Thursday that it has seen one more confirmed case within its community, bringing the pandemic total to 35. Sixteen cases are active, while 18 have recovered, according to the post. So far, the Nooksack health team has conducted 2,474 tests during the pandemic, with results for 56 pending. Nooksack instituted a Shelter in Place Order on Wednesday, mandating that all residents stay in their homes except for essential reasons and restricted them from gatherings with people outside their households until further notice.
The Lummi Tribal Health Center reported in a Facebook post four new cases Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in the Lummi community during the pandemic to 173, including 109 new cases since Oct. 1. As of Thursday, the Lummi health department reported it had 32 active cases and no hospitalizations. During the pandemic, five people have been hospitalized, but there have been no related deaths and the health center has conducted 3,320 tests. The Lummi Indian Business Council has issued a Phase 1 Shelter in Place Order through Jan. 12.
Whatcom’s risk assessment
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard was last updated Thursday evening for data as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. It showed that Whatcom County was 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 164.2.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 molecular testing rate per 100,000 people over a week of 203.7 No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 203.1. The state’s incomplete testing data 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 4.9%. The state’s incomplete testing data 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: 1,087 of the region’s 1,202 adult hospital beds (90.4%) were occupied, missing the state’s goal of 80% or less.
▪ COVID occupied beds: 168 of the region’s 1,202 adult hospital beds (14.0%) were occupied by COVID patients, missing the state’s goal of 10% or less.
▪ Occupied ICU beds: 97 of the region’s 137 adult ICU beds (70.8%) were occupied. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it was an decrease of eight from Tuesday’s report.
▪ COVID occupied ICU beds: 28 of the region’s 137 adult ICU beds (20.4%) were occupied by COVID patients. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it was a decrease of five from Tuesday’s report.
Arne Hanna update
Though programs and activities will continue at the Arne Hanna Aquatic Center this week, registrations for programs and lane reservations are no longer being taken beyond Jan. 11, according to a Facebook post by Bellingham Parks and Recreation.
The move, according to the post, will give officials an opportunity to get clarification from state and local offices on whether they will be allowed to operate safely.
“This and other recreational services are being evaluated and will be announced in the coming days,” the post read. “Thank you for your patience as we work through the most recent guidance.”
The aquatic center was closed for the first six months of the pandemic, until Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood announced it would reopen with COVID-19 restrictions, including pre-registration, on Sept. 14.
Lummi returning to campus
Lummi Nation School students will begin returning to in-person learning later this month, but unlike many other schools in the area, its oldest students will be the first to return.
According to a Lummi Communications Facebook post, seventh through 12 graders will begin returning in limited, three- to five-student pods on Jan. 21. The students will have a staff member with them on campus to assist with their online learning according to the post, though availability is limited.
Kindergartners and first graders are scheduled to begin returning using a hybrid model on Feb. 4, with second- through fourth-graders returning for a hybrid model March 1 and fifth- and sixth-graders on April 12.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Friday morning:
▪ The U.S. has more than 21.5 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and more than 365,000 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 88.2 million reported cases and 1.9 million deaths.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Thursday afternoon:
▪ 253,401 confirmed cases, an increase of 3,095 from reported cases on Wednesday.
▪ 10,611 probable cases, an increase of 165 from Wednesday’s data.
▪ 15,568 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 153 from data Wednesday.
▪ 3,987,138 total molecular tests, an increase of 17,549 from Wednesday’s data.
▪ 3,634 deaths related to COVID-19. That reflected an increase of 29 deaths from data reported Tuesday meaning that 1.4% of the state residents who have tested positive for COVID during the pandemic have died.
Washington state actions
In the “Healthy Washington” plan introduced by Gov. Jay Inslee Tuesday, Jan. 5, business resumption is tied to targets by health system regions. Whatcom is tied to Skagit, San Juan and Island counties in the plan.
The state will run analyses each Friday, including this week, to determine whether regions will move backward or forward in phases the following Monday, officials said.
All regions will begin in Phase 1 on Jan. 11. It allows live entertainment with ticketed groups of up to 10 people and very limited fitness activities such as appointment-based training in gyms.
Phase 2 allows restaurants and indoor fitness centers to open indoors at 25% capacity and allows for sports competitions to resume with limited spectators, and wedding, and funeral ceremonies can increase capacities.
Whatcom County is in the North Region, along with Skagit, San Juan and Island counties.
Regions must meet these targets to move to Phase 2:
▪ A 10% decline in case rates over the last 14 days compared to the prior two weeks.
▪ 10% decline in COVID hospital admission rate in the last 14 days.
▪ ICU occupancy rates below 90% for COVID-19 and non-COVID patients.
▪ A test positivity rate below 10%.
To stay in Phase 2, regions have to keep meeting at least three of the metrics, though the trend metrics will have a little more flexibility than ICU occupancy and test positivity rates.
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 7:59 AM.
