Whatcom surpasses 7,000 confirmed COVID cases in pandemic with 20 reported Tuesday
Whatcom County surpassed 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases during the pandemic with 20 new positive tests reported by the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard on Tuesday, March 16, but no new related deaths were reported.
Overall, Whatcom County has seen 7,015 confirmed cases and 85 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 15. An additional 178 probable cases — an increase of two from Monday’s report — have been reported in Whatcom County during the pandemic, resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.
That means that 1.2% of Whatcom’s 7,193 total cases (confirmed and probable cases combined) have resulted in death — better than the statewide 1.5% average of total cases.
The 20 new confirmed cases reported Monday mean Whatcom County has had 3,546 cases — 50.5% of its pandemic total — reported during the first 73 days of 2021 (an average of 48.6 cases per day). The county’s daily average of newly reported cases the past seven days decreased to 22.4 per day.
The state Department of Health data Tuesday showed Whatcom County has had 323 hospitalizations during the pandemic, which is up three from Monday’s report.
The state also reported that a total of 191,423 molecular tests have been administered in Whatcom County during the pandemic — a decrease of 817 tests from Monday’s report — meaning 3.66% of all reported tests in the county during the pandemic have come back positive. The state cautioned that negative test results from Nov. 21-30 remain incomplete.
Monday’s vaccination report was corrected Tuesday, as the overall number of vaccinations provided in the state was reduced 63 to 2,442,206 and Whatcom County’s count of vaccines administered was reduced by one to 57,287 as of 11:59 p.m. Saturday, March 13. That’s still an increase of 4,680 vaccinations (up 8.90%) from Friday’s report. The state estimates 21.44% of Whatcom County residents have initiated a COVID-19 vaccine and 10.49% of county residents are fully vaccinated.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Herald on Tuesday morning it was treating five patients for COVID-19, up one from Tuesday’s report.
Another barrier passed
It took Whatcom County 36 days to move from 6,000 reported confirmed cases to 7,000 — twice as long as it took for the county to move from 5,000 to 6,000 and nearly three times longer than it took to go from 4,000 to 5,000.
Here is a look at how long it took Whatcom County to surpass barriers for total number of reported confirmed cases during the pandemic:
▪ First case: March 10
▪ 1,000th case: Aug. 12 (155 days).
▪ 2,000th case: Nov. 20 (100 days).
▪ 3,000th case: Dec. 17 (27 days).
▪ 4,000th case: Jan. 8 (22 days).
▪ 5,000th case: Jan. 21 (13 days).
▪ 6,000th case: Feb. 8 (18 days).
▪ 7,000th case: March 16 (36 days).
Whatcom’s risk assessment
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard was last updated Tuesday evening for data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday. With a shift to “Healthy Washington” goals to resume business activities, the state is 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 Feb. 21-March 6 with a rate of 203.7 — down from 219.7 reported Monday. Whatcom County has the sixth-highest infection rate in the state according to Tuesday’s data.
▪ Whatcom had an average COVID-19 molecular testing rate per 100,000 people Feb. 20-26 of 311.5. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 236.1, and Whatcom’s average was down from the 320.3 reported Monday.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 2.0% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 Feb. 20-26 with a rate of 4.8% — down from the 5.1% Monday and the 17th-highest rate in the state.
The latest Healthcare System Readiness risk assessment dashboard, updated Monday evening for data through Sunday, shows for the North region, which combines Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties:
▪ Occupied beds: 923 of the region’s 1,233 adult hospital beds (74.9%) were occupied, making the state’s goal of 80% or less and down 41 occupied beds from data Monday.
▪ COVID occupied beds: 36 of the region’s 1,233 adult hospital beds (2.9%) were occupied by COVID patients, making the state’s goal of 10% or less but up 10 occupied beds from data Monday.
▪ Occupied ICU beds: 90 of the region’s 136 adult ICU beds (66.2%) were occupied. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it’s up four beds in use from data Monday.
▪ COVID occupied ICU beds: 15 of the region’s 136 adult ICU beds (11.0%) were occupied by COVID patients. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it’s up two occupied beds from data Monday.
Bellingham parks accepting reservations
Bellingham Parks and Recreation will begin accepting reservations for some outdoor events and park uses beginning April 1 for events after June 1, according to a news release.
The plans are in line with both phases 2 and 3 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Health Washington Roadmap to Recovery Plan, Parks and Recreation Director Nicole Oliver said in the release.
”We have a pragmatic and resource-based facility re-opening plan that is consistent with health guidelines and increases community recreation options and programs. We are eager to welcome these outdoor events and activities back to our parks,” Oliver said.
Beginning April 1, reservations for reservable outdoor picnic shelters and event spaces will be accepted for events June 1 and later. Indoor facilities are not available to be reserved until after Labor Day weekend, except for the barn at Woodstock Farm.
Depot Market Square will continue to host the Bellingham Farmer’s Market but is not available for general public uses at this time, while athletic fields are available for programming run by school districts and other youth sports programs that follow state Department of Health guidelines and provide staffing and oversight for the activities.
The Bellingham Bells baseball team also will begin their home season at Joe Martin Field in June.
Facilities use may be expanded based on the community’s progress toward health recovery, Oliver said, as well as staff availability.
Ferndale summer park activities
The city of Ferndale announced in a news release plans to host a full slate of summer activities its calling “2021 Summer of Fun.”
Events will be held outdoors in Ferndale parks and require attendees to practice social distancing and wear face coverings, according to the release.
“We know everyone is excited to get out of the house and do something fun this summer. We believe we have a way to come together as a community in a safe and responsible way,” Mayor Greg Hansen said in the release.
Activities, according to the release, will include:
Food Truck Fridays: Held the first Friday of every month (June 4, July 2 and Aug. 6) at Star Park. Food trucks from around the county will sell hot meals starting at 5:30 p.m.
Music in the Park: Will be held Saturdays, June 19, July 17 and Aug. 14, on the stage in Pioneer Village. Seattle rock band 3 Trick Pony is scheduled for June 19, and Bellingham R&B/Hip-Hop SpaceBand will perform Aug. 17. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with music starting at 6 p.m.
Flicks in the Park: Will be held Friday nights, June 25, July 9 and July 23 at Pioneer Village. Gates will open at 8:30 p.m. and movies will begin at dusk.
Great Ferndale Frontier Folly: A citywide scavenger hunt with riddles and prizes will be held throughout the month of July.
Stargazing with the Perseids Meteor Shower: Will be held Friday night, Aug. 13, at VanderYacht Park with a number of stargazing activities.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Wednesday morning:
▪ The U.S. has more than 29.5 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and more than 536,000 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 120.8 million reported cases and 2.6 million deaths.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Tuesday afternoon:
▪ 330,367 confirmed cases, an increase of 474 from reported cases on Monday.
▪ 20,742 probable cases, an increase of 129 from Monday’s data.
▪ 19,910 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 19 from data Monday.
▪ 5,592,845 total molecular tests, an increase of 16,838 from Monday’s data.
▪ 5,149 deaths related to COVID-19, an increase of 14 from Monday’s data. That means 1.5% of all Washington residents who have tested positive for coronavirus have died.
Statewide, according to the state’s latest vaccination report, which is updated Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays:
▪ 2,442,206 vaccinations had been given as of Saturday, March 13, according to Tuesday’s update to report, an increase of 174,248 from the previous report (7.68%).
▪ The state has averaged administering 42,551 doses of vaccines the past seven days — a little under the Department of Health’s stated daily goal of 45,000, and a decrease from the average 44,610 reported Friday.
▪ The state estimated Monday that 20.71% of the state’s residents have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 11.94% percent of residents are fully vaccinated.
▪ 2,721,040 doses have been delivered to Washington state providers (an increase of 94,320 from Friday’s report) and 186,030 doses have been delivered for the CDC’s long-term care program (unchanged from Friday’s report).
▪ Of the 2,907,070 doses delivered, 84.01% have been given, according to Monday’s report.
Washington state actions
On Thursday Inslee announced that the Roadmap to Recovery plan would transition from the regional approach back to a county-by-county evaluation process and that all counties will begin in Phase 3 effective March 22.
In Phase 3, outdoor professional sports can welcome back fans at 25% capacity, according to Inslee’s office, while capacity for indoor activities such as dining at restaurants, attending worship services and shopping at retail stores will double to 50% occupancy.
The state will run analyses every other Friday to determine whether regions will move backward or forward in phases the following Monday, officials said.
All restrictions in Phase 2 will be in some way expanded in Phase 3, according to Inslee’s office. That includes restaurants, gyms, retail, movie theaters, and professional and personal services.
Up to 50% occupancy or 400 people, whichever is lower, will be allowed for indoor activities that were allowed in Phase 2.
Up to 400 people will be allowed for outdoor activities and indoor events with physical distancing and masking in place, according to the governor’s office, as long as that count doesn’t exceed 50 percent capacity. Events at bigger venues will have different guidelines: 25% occupancy or up to 9,000 people.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 8:34 AM.
