Whatcom’s fourth COVID wave looking quite different, as county sees three new variants
Whatcom County has definitely begun to see its fourth COVID-19 surge of the pandemic, a local doctor says, but this surge is looking quite different than the three previous peaks.
“Unlike the other surges, when we saw a significant increase in cases in the community followed by a significant increase in the hospitalizations, if you look at the Whatcom numbers, Whatcom is seeing a slight increase in its (case) numbers — not like the third wave,” Dr. Sudhakar Karlapudi, chief medical officer at St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, told The Bellingham Herald last week. “But the wave of hospitalizations is way high. The peak is way too high for hospitalizations.”
Though the data on the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard epidemological curves is not yet complete and may change, Whatcom County saw 19 new COVID-related hospitalizations during the seven most recent days of data (May 1-7). That comes on the heels of seeing 10 and 14 hospitalizations during the previous two seven-day periods (April 17-23 and April 24-30, respectively).
The number of new confirmed cases seen in Whatcom County, meanwhile, has increased, but not at the steep jumps seen the first three surges.
The seven-day average of new confirmed cases according to incomplete data on the state’s epidemological curves as of May 7 was 32.71 per day. That is virtually unchanged from averages of 33.57 and 31.43 cases per day from the previous two weeks, though all three weeks were slightly up from the 26.14 average on April 16.
Those averages are still nearly a third of what Whatcom County averaged during the peak of its post-holiday surge of cases in early and mid January, though.
Part of the reason for the recent climb in case and hospitalization numbers may be an increase in confirmed variant cases in the county.
“We have been talking for months now that we could have the British variant, and this just shows that it’s here and having an impact,” Dr. Karlapudi said.
Three new variants emerged in Whatcom County last week, according to the latest SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing and Variants report by the Department of Health released Thursday.
According to the latest report, Whatcom saw its first confirmed case of the B.1.351 (South Africa) variant, its first case of the B.1.429 (California) variant and its first two cases of the B.1.525 (New York) variant.
Additionally, the report stated Whatcom last week saw:
▪ 19 new confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 (United Kingdom) variant and now has 98 total cases — fourth most in the state behind King (1,269), Snohomish (300) and Pierce (147) counties.
▪ One new confirmed case of the B.1.427 (California) variant and now has five total cases.
▪ No new confirmed case of the P.1 (Brazil) variant to remain at four total cases.
Like the B.1.1.7, P.1 and B.1.427, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the B.1.351 and B.1.429 as moderate-level “variants of concern” and believes they spread more easily. The B.1.525 is listed as a lower-level “variant of interest” by the CDC.
The CDC says it is studying how all variants may or may not cause more severe or less severe symptoms and how effective COVID treatments and vaccines are against variant strains.
“I just say we all need to get vaccinated,” Dr. Karlapudi said. “The vaccination has shown to be effective against those variants as well.”
Weekly update
Whatcom County last week saw its highest number of reported COVID-19 cases since late February. The county’s case total grew by 278 last week, as its total number of cases during the pandemic grew from 8,145 on May 1 to 8,423 on Saturday, May 8. It was the second straight week Whatcom saw more than 200 cases reported and was up from the 238 reported the week before.
Also last week:
▪ Whatcom’s infection rate (the number of new cases in a two-week period per 100,000 residents based on epidemiological data from eight days earlier) grew from 183.8 on April 30 to 206.6 on Friday, May 7, according to the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard. An infection rate of more than 200 would fail one of two criteria used by the state to determine if Whatcom can remain in Phase 3 of the Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery plan.
▪ Whatcom’s weekly hospitalization rate (the weekly number of new COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents based on epidemiological data from 10 days earlier) increased from 4.4 May 1 to 7.5 on May 8. An infection rate of 5.0 would fail the second of the two criteria used by the state to determine if Whatcom remains in Phase 3.
▪ Whatcom’s COVID test positivity rate climbed to 5.1% on Friday according to the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard, up from 4.2% April 30. Meanwhile there were 5,522 reported tests in Whatcom County last week, up from 4,427 the week before.
▪ The number of reported vaccine doses administered in Whatcom County last week dropped 17.1% from the previous week — falling to 10,650 last week from 12,848 the week before.
Overall during the pandemic, Whatcom County has had 8,423 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported (including 58 reported Saturday, May 8), 393 probable cases (including one reported Saturday), 92 COVID-related deaths and 393 related hospitalizations (including one reported Saturday).
PeaceHealth vaccine update
PeaceHealth is expecting to distribute 1,600 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week and 3,000 second doses in Whatcom County, according to its weekly vaccine update — a decrease from the 1,750 first doses it expected to administer last week but the same number of second doses.
As all doses are the Pfizer vaccine, individuals 16 and older are eligible to receive doses, though parental consent is needed for those under 18.
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.
As of Friday, the state Department of Health dashboard reported that 152,466 vaccine doses had been administered in Whatcom County and that 55.55% of Whatcom’s residents 16 and older had initiated vaccine and 40.82% were fully vaccinated.
This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 10:53 AM.
