Whatcom sees 25 new COVID cases, but state vaccine supply is ‘on the cusp of abundance’
One-quarter of all Whatcom County residents have initiated a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the latest data update on the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard Tuesday, March 23, and the county saw its weekly average of new cases dip to its lowest mark in more than four months.
Whatcom County had 25 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard Tuesday, March 23, and no new related deaths.
Overall, Whatcom County has seen 7,124 confirmed cases and 86 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 22. An additional 207 probable cases — an increase of three 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 7,331 total cases (confirmed and probable cases combined) have resulted in death — better than the statewide 1.5% average of total cases.
The 25 new confirmed cases reported Monday mean Whatcom County has had 3,655 cases — 51.3% of its pandemic total — reported during the first 82 days of 2021 (an average of 44.5 cases per day). The county’s daily average of newly reported cases the past seven days climbed to 15.6 per day.
The state Department of Health data Tuesday showed Whatcom County has had 331 hospitalizations during the pandemic, up three from Monday’s report.
The state also reported that a total of 197,641 molecular tests have been administered in Whatcom County during the pandemic — up 327 tests from Monday’s report — meaning 3.60% 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 said that as of 11:59 p.m. Saturday, March 20, Whatcom County had administered 68,827 vaccinations — up 11.94% (7,341 vaccinations) from Friday’s report. The state estimates 25.09% of Whatcom County residents (56,526 people) have initiated a COVID-19 vaccine and 13.00% of Whatcom County residents (29,298 people) are fully vaccinated.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, which is licensed and staffed for 241 beds, reported to The Herald on Wednesday morning it was treating seven patients for COVID-19, down one from Tuesday’s report.
Western Washington University’s most recent on-campus student COVID testing data showed Tuesday that since Sept. 15 WWU has completed 26,913 tests and 84 students have tested positive — up one from Monday’s report. The college has seen 46 new cases since the school resumed testing following the winter break after seeing 38 cases during the fall quarter.
Vaccine allocation
Statewide allocation of the three COVID-19 vaccines approved for U.S. use will double soon, Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach told the County Council in a briefing Tuesday afternoon.
Lautenbach said the federal government has notified state Department of Health officials that shipments of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will double by April 1.
“I think we are right on the cusp of abundance and being able to vaccinate more people in our community and meet the demand,” Lautenbach said.
Meanwhile, Lautenbach told the council that 72% of eligible Whatcom County residents had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or at least one dose of the other two vaccines, which require two doses.
Further, none of the more transmissible COVID-19 variants are an issue in Whatcom County, she said.
Infection rates are declining in Whatcom County, and most COVID-19 patients continue to be in the 18-39 age range, with the lowest cases rates among those age 60 and older, she said.
— Robert Mittendorf, rmittendorf@bhamherald.com
Whatcom’s risk assessment
The state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard was last updated Tuesday evening for data as of 11:59 p.m. Monday.
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. 28-March 13 with a rate of 168.7 — down from 174.9 reported Monday. Whatcom County has the seventh-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. 27-March 5 of 311.3. No goal was stated for this metric, however, the overall statewide number was 221.9, and Whatcom’s average was up from the 306.4 reported Monday.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target of less than 2.0% of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 Feb. 27-March 5 with a rate of 3.8% — down from the 4.2% reported Monday and the 18th-highest rate in the state.
The latest Healthcare System Readiness risk assessment dashboard, updated Tuesday evening for data through Monday, shows for the North region, which combines Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties:
▪ Occupied beds: 958 of the region’s 1,247 adult hospital beds (76.8%) were occupied, making the state’s goal of 80% or less but up three occupied beds from data Monday.
▪ COVID occupied beds: 35 of the region’s 1,247 adult hospital beds (2.8%) were occupied by COVID patients, making the state’s goal of 10% or less and down three occupied beds from Monday.
▪ Occupied ICU beds: 88 of the region’s 138 adult ICU beds (63.8%) were occupied. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it’s down eight beds in use from data Monday.
▪ COVID occupied ICU beds: 15 of the region’s 138 adult ICU beds (10.9%) were occupied by COVID patients. The state does not have a goal for this metric, but it’s down two occupied beds from data Monday.
Whatcom parks update
The Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department will begin taking reservations for outdoor park shelters and picnic areas beginning Monday, March 29, according to a news release.
Reservations will be accepted for groups of up to 75 people at the Hovander Group Picnic Shelter and 50 or fewer people at all other reservable picnic areas, unless noted otherwise, according to the release.
Those receiving reservations must agree to follow all COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions set in the state’s Roadmap to Recovery Plan.
Reservations for indoor facilities will not open until later this spring, and reservations at the Lighthouse Marine Park are not allowed due to travel restrictions at the U.S.-Canada border.
Reservations can be made by calling 360-778-5850, and more information can at the county’s facility rentals webpage.
The Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department announced last week that it will begin accepting reservations April 1 for some outdoor events and park uses scheduled for June 1 and beyond.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Wednesday morning:
▪ The U.S. has more than 29.9 million reported cases, the most of any nation, and more than 543,000 deaths.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 124.3 million reported cases and 2.7 million deaths.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Tuesday evening:
▪ 334,841 confirmed cases, an increase of 449 from reported cases on Monday.
▪ 21,695 probable cases, an increase of 101 from Monday’s data.
▪ 20,195 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, an increase of 41 from data Monday.
▪ 5,824,937 total molecular tests, an increase of 113,354 from Monday’s data.
▪ 5,186 deaths related to COVID-19, up three 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:
▪ 2,824,937 vaccinations had been given as of Saturday, March 20, an increase of 203,427 from the previous report (7.76%).
▪ The state has averaged administering 46,103 doses of vaccines the past seven days — more than the Department of Health’s stated daily goal of 45,000, and up from the average 43,737 reported Friday.
▪ The state estimated that 24.16% of the state’s residents have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 13.83% percent of residents are fully vaccinated.
Washington state actions
All counties moved to Phase 3 on Monday. On March 11, Inslee announced that the Roadmap to Recovery plan would transition from the regional approach back to a county-by-county evaluation process.
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.
