How does Bellingham’s COVID-19 infection rate compare to other U.S. cities?
The Bellingham metro area, which also includes the rest of Whatcom County, has had one of the 10 lowest COVID-19 infection rates in the nation during the pandemic, according to a study by a national financial news and opinion website.
A data-driven study by website 24/7 Wall St. released Sunday, April 25, ranked Bellingham the 10th-best metro area in the United States when it came to COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people.
To determine the top cities in the U.S., 24/7 Wall St. says it compiled data from state and local health departments and ranked metro areas based on the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents reported as of Thursday, April 22. The website said it aggregated COVID data from the county level and used boundary definitions and population totals from the U.S. Census Bureau five year estimates.
The study used a population of 220,821 residents for the Bellingham metro area and 8,049 confirmed COVID cases as of April 22 — an infection rate of 3,645.0 cases per 100,000 residents.
The 8,049 cases 24/7 Wall St. used in the ranking are 209 more cases than the 7,840 confirmed cases the Washington State Department of Health COVID dashboard reported for Whatcom County on April 22, but the Department of Health data also included 293 probable cases not confirmed by a molecular test.
As of the Department of Health’s most recent report on Saturday, April 24, Whatcom County had 7,907 confirmed cases, 300 probable cases and 89 related deaths.
The nine metro areas to beat Whatcom’s mark, according to the report? Most were in the Pacific Northwest, though the top two spots were in Hawaii:
▪ No. 9: Grants Pass, Oregon, at 3,568.7.
▪ No. 8: Bangor, Maine, at 3,398.5.
▪ No. 7: Albany-Lebanon, Oregon, at 3,348.3.
▪ No. 6: Eugene-Springfield, Oregon, at 3,139.8.
▪ No. 5: Corvallis, Oregon, at 3,022.8.
▪ No. 4: Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater at 3,017.8.
▪ No. 3: Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard at 2,689.2.
▪ No. 2: Urban Honolulu at 2,513.6.
▪ No. 1 : Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii, at 2,509.4.
Bellingham’s neighbor to the south — the Mount Vernon-Anacortes metro area in Skagit County — checked in at No. 13 on the list at 4,062.5 cases per 100,000 residents.
PeaceHealth vaccine update
PeaceHealth will distribute 3,000 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week and 2,000 second doses in Whatcom County, according to its weekly vaccine update.
Check for available appointments by going to its online scheduling tool at peacehealth.org. PeaceHealth affiliation isn’t required to get the COVID-19 vaccine from PeaceHealth.
Or call 833-375-0285 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The phone line doesn’t accept messages.
For other vaccine sites, check with your health care provider or go to Washington state’s Vaccine Locator tool at vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
Whatcom County seniors who aren’t tech-savvy or who are homebound and need help with transportation or have other barriers to getting a COVID-19 vaccine appointment can call 360-746-3450, which is being offered by the Whatcom Council on Aging.
The Washington State Department of Health also offers assistance at 800-525-0127, then press #. Language assistance is available.
—Kie Relyea (krelyea@bhamherald.com)
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 10:01 AM.
