Whatcom sees 114 new COVID-19 cases Friday, as Work Center sees 3 more positive tests
For the eighth time so far this month, Whatcom County’s reported COVID-19 case count increased by triple digits, as 114 new confirmed cases were reported Friday, Jan. 22, on the Washington State Department of Health’s dashboard.
Before the first of the year, the county hadn’t seen any increases that big.
The good news, though, was after seeing three COVID-related deaths reported Thursday, Whatcom’s death total remained unchanged Friday.
Overall, Whatcom County has seen 5,126 confirmed cases and 59 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, meaning 1.1% of all COVID cases in Whatcom County have been linked to a death.
Sixteen additional probable cases — an increase of one from Thursday’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.
Since Jan. 1, Whatcom County’s reported case total has increased by 1,657 — already the largest month the county has seen by more than 600 cases and nearly a third (32.3%) of the county’s total cases during the pandemic. Whatcom’s seven-day average of reported cases did increased to 67.6 cases per day.
The state Department of Health data Friday also showed Whatcom County has had 250 hospitalizations during the pandemic, an increase of one from Thursday’s report.
The state reported that a total of 140,892 molecular tests have been administered in Whatcom County during the pandemic — an increase of 854 tests from Thursday’s report. The state cautioned that negative test results Nov. 21-30 and since Jan. 5 still are incomplete.
It also said that statewide case counts may include up to 200 duplicates.
On Tuesday, the state began releasing statewide and county-by-county data on vaccinations — metrics it says it plans to update on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays..
Friday’s report said that as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, Whatcom County had administered 8,740 vaccinations — an increase of 1,528 vaccinations from Wednesday’s report, which was through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18. The state estimates that 3.81% of the county (or approximately 8,584 residents) have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 0.98% of the county (or approximately 2,208 residents) are fully vaccinated.
According to the data released Friday, Whatcom residents have received approximately 2.2% of the 391,195 total vaccinations administered in the state.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Bellingham Herald on Friday it was treating 21 patients daily for COVID-19, a decrease of four from Thursday’s report and nine fewer than the record 30 it reported Jan. 13. St. Joseph has banned visitors at the medical center until further notice while COVID-19 remains a public health threat.
Western Washington University’s most recent on-campus student COVID testing data show Friday that since Sept. 15 WWU has tested 17,843 students, 58 of whom had positive tests — an increase of two from Thursday’s report. The college has seen 20 new cases since the school resumed testing following the winter break.
The Lummi Tribal Health Center reported in a Facebook post Friday that it had 11 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number of cases in the Lummi community during the pandemic to 250. The Lummi health department reported it has 58 active cases and two current hospitalizations. During the pandemic, nine community members have been hospitalized, two have died and the health center has conducted 3,777 tests. Positive tests for the last two weeks are at 14.38%.
Jail’s Work Center update
The Whatcom County Jail’s Work Center has had three more inmates test positive for COVID-19, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
That brings to 13, the total number of inmates who have tested positive this week — the only confirmed COVID cases in the Work Center or the downtown jail, the sheriff’s office reports.
The sheriff’s office announced Wednesday, Jan. 20, that 10 inmates had tested positive on Tuesday and Wednesday after one inmate of the minimum security units at the Work Center notified corrections deputies that they were experiencing some mild symptoms often associated with COVID.
The inmate was immediately put in isolation, evaluated by medical staff and tested for COVID-19, according to the release. After that test came back positive, the inmate was placed in medical isolation and is currently being monitored regularly and receiving care.
Nine of 15 other inmates in the same dormitory also tested positive for COVID-19, according to the release. All those that tested positive were isolated at the Work Center and are under medical supervision and care.
Variant not seen in Whatcom
The highly contagious variant of the coronavirus, known as the B.1.1.7 strain or the British/UK variant, hasn’t been detected in Whatcom County, according to Dr. Greg Stern, the county’s Health Officer.
Bellingham-based Northwest Laboratory, which has provided COVID-19 testing services since March, checks for evidence of the new strain, Stern told The Bellingham Herald on Friday, Jan. 22.
So far, there are 144 known cases in 20 states, including in Oregon and California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has not yet been detected in Washington state.
First discovered in the United Kingdom, the variant concerns health officials over its ability to spread faster.
If the British variant is detected here, the state and county health department would notify the public.
“The variant appears to be more effective at infecting people than the common COVID strain. Because of this it is even more important to use face coverings, distancing, hand hygiene, and limit the size of gatherings outside of your household to prevent spread of the virus,” Stern told The Herald.
“At this point we have no evidence that the variant causes more severe disease than the common strains, nor that the current vaccines are less effective against it,” he added.
—Kie Relyea, krelyea@bhamherald.com
Whatcom’s risk assessment
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard was last updated Friday evening for data as of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21. With a shift to “Healthy Washington” goals to resume business activities, the state was more specific on reporting dates for some metrics. The dashboard does not update on the weekends.
Whatcom County was missing the marks on two key metrics:
▪ Whatcom is missing the target rate of fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents Dec. 30-Jan. 12 with a rate of 476.3 — an increase from 448.3 reported Thursday.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 molecular testing rate per 100,000 people Dec. 29-Jan. 4 of 352.6. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 290.6, and it was an increase from Whatcom’s average of 346.2 reported Thursday.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 2.0% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 Dec. 29-Jan. 4 with a rate of 7.9% — an increase from the 7.0% reported Thursday.
The latest Healthcare System Readiness risk assessment dashboard, updated Friday evening for data through Thursday, shows for the North region, which combines Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties:
▪ Occupied beds: 1,069 of the region’s 1,209 adult hospital beds (88.4%) were occupied, missing the state’s goal of 80% or less and an increase of 35 occupied beds from data Thursday.
▪ COVID occupied beds: 159 of the region’s 1,209 adult hospital beds (13.2%) were occupied by COVID patients, missing the state’s goal of 10% or less and a decrease of five occupied beds from data Thursday.
▪ Occupied ICU beds: 101 of the region’s 139 adult ICU beds (72.7%) were occupied. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it was an increase of five beds being used from data Thursday.
▪ COVID occupied ICU beds: 27 of the region’s 139 adult ICU beds (19.4%) were occupied by COVID patients. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it was unchanged from data Thursday.
Vaccine scam warning
Whatcom County residents should ignore phone calls, texts or emails promising to provide early access to the COVID-19 vaccine or a way to buy the vaccine online or via the mail, Family Care Network said in its online FAQ.
It’s a scam, the health care provider said, sharing the Federal Trade Commission’s warning to consumers.
“People should not pay for a promise of vaccine access or share their personal information,” the FTC said. “Nobody legit will call about the vaccine and ask for your Social Security, bank account or credit card number.”
—Kie Relyea, krelyea@bhamherald.com
Vaccine recipient monitoring
A few Bellingham Fire Department paramedics will volunteer their time over the next several days to monitor recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a post Friday on the department’s Facebook page.
If necessary, they will offer treatment to recipients that need it, the post said.
“We are proud of our members’ continued commitment to a healthy community,” the post read.
The Whatcom County Health Department’s most recent information about vaccines in Whatcom County is available at whatcomcounty.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2388.
Business vaccine preparations
With Washington state moving into Phase 1B Tier 1 of the vaccination process, the Whatcom County Health department encouraged employers to have their employees check their healthcare provider’s website for information on whether vaccine doses are available and plans for vaccination, according to a release Friday.
“Make a plan with your employees to ensure coverage if they need time off to receive the vaccine,” the release read.
Later tiers of Phase 1B will open up vaccines to a broader range of critical workers in higher risk environments, according to the release, which went on to recommend taking steps to plan for employees getting vaccinated, including:
▪ Determining if employees fall in Phase 1B Tier 1 and asses employees’ roles to prioritize those with the highest risk.
▪ Speaking to employees to determine which intend to be vaccinated.
▪ Making plans to rotate staff getting vaccinated to avoid being short-handed if any experience side effects, keeping in mind that a second dose is required 21 to 28 days after the first.
▪ Planning with your employee health providers about access to vaccines for your employees.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Friday afternoon:
▪ The U.S. has more than 24.8 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and more than 413,000 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 98.1 million reported cases and 2.1 million deaths.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Friday afternoon:
▪ 285,187 confirmed cases, an increase of 1,999 from reported cases on Thursday.
▪ 13,062 probable cases, an increase of 153 from Thursday’s data.
▪ 17,037 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 98 from data Thursday.
▪ 4,349,779 total molecular tests, an increase of 23,981 from Thursday’s data.
▪ 4,114 deaths related to COVID-19 were reported, and increase of 49 deaths from Thursday’s data.
▪ 391,195 vaccinations given, an increase of 55,359 from Wednesday’s data. The state has averaged administering 17,618 doses of vaccines the past seven days — slightly more than a third of the Department of Health’s stated goal of 45,000. The state estimates that 4.31% of the state’s residents have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 0.84% percent of residents are fully vaccinated.
▪ 719,475 doses have been delivered to Washington state providers and 99,450 doses have been delivered for the CDC’s long-term care program, and of the total 818,925 doses delivered, 47.77% have been given. Vaccination data should next be updated Monday.
Washington state actions
In the “Healthy Washington” plan introduced by Gov. Jay Inslee 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 to determine whether regions will move backward or forward in phases the following Monday, officials said.
All regions began in Phase 1 on Jan. 11 and continue in Phase 1 until at least Feb. 1. It allows live entertainment with ticketed groups of up to 10 people and very limited fitness activities such as appointment-based training in gyms.
This story was originally published January 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
