Whatcom’s numbers remain high with 56 new COVID cases, 5 hospitalizations Friday
Whatcom County continued to see its number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations remain high on Friday, May 14, as the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard showed 56 new cases and five additional hospitalizations.
Fortunately, no new COVID-related deaths were reported, after two were added to the county’s total on Thursday.
Overall, Whatcom County has seen 8,632 confirmed cases, 405 hospitalizations and 95 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data. An additional 341 probable cases — up two from the last report — have been reported in Whatcom County during the pandemic, resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.
With the 56 new cases reported Friday, Whatcom County’s daily average of new reported cases over the past week increased to 38.1, higher than the 35.7 average from one week earlier (May 1-7).
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 18 COVID-related patients on Friday — down one from Thursday.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Thursday that all counties will return to Phase 3 of the state’s Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery plan on Tuesday, May 18, and that the state will fully reopen by June 30 — earlier if 70% of all residents 16 and older initiate vaccination.
Though Inslee’s announcement means data other than vaccinations no longer matter in the reopening plan, Whatcom County would still be failing both metrics the state was previously using to determine if it would stay in Phase 3.
▪ The county has an infection rate of 229.8 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents between April 23and May 6, according to the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard, meaning Whatcom would have failed to meet the state guideline of 200 to remain in Phase 3.
▪ The county averaged 9.6 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents between April 27 and May 3, according to The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state epidemiological data, meaning Whatcom would have failed to meet the state guideline of 5.0 to remain in Phase 3.
Whatcom vaccination update
Friday’s vaccination report said that Whatcom County has administered 164,012 doses — up 2.34% (3,749 doses) from the last report. That was ahead of the state’s 1.74% increase in doses administered for the same period.
Vaccination data is updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Here is what data analysis of the latest numbers by The Bellingham Herald show:
▪ Whatcom County — the ninth-most populated county in Washington state with approximately 3% of the state’s total population, according to 2019 U.S. Census estimates — has administered the ninth-most doses of the 39 counties in the state.
▪ The state estimates 57.79% of eligible Whatcom County residents (those 16 and older) have initiated a COVID-19 vaccine — seventh-highest in the state. The state reports 108,956 people in Whatcom County have initiated vaccination — an increase of 1,175 from the last report.
▪ The state estimates 45.10% of eligible Whatcom County residents (those 16 and older) are fully vaccinated — eighth-highest in the state. The state reports 85,035 people in Whatcom County are fully vaccinated — an increase of 2,745 from the last report.
▪ Based on 2019 five-year population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Whatcom County has administered 0.74 doses of vaccine per resident — 23rd highest in the state and behind the overall state average of 0.83 doses per person.
▪ Statewide, there have been 6,152,091 vaccine doses administered — up 105,435 from the last report. So far, 3,562,750 residents (57.98% of all eligible residents in the state) have initiated vaccination and 2,757,234 (44.87%) have completed it.
So close . . .
Though Inslee said the state would be reopening by June 30, he added that date could be even sooner if 70% of all eligible residents initiated vaccination.
Whatcom County currently has 57.98% of its eligible residents, or 108,956 residents, initiating vaccination, according to Friday’s update on the state dashboard.
Based on those numbers, Whatcom County would need approximately 131,544 people to initiate vaccination to reach 70% — or approximately 22,588 more people to do their part in helping the state reopen early.
The state dashboard shows Whatcom County has averaged 1,317 vaccine doses administered the past seven days — the county’s lowest seven-day average since March 17.
But even by averaging 1,317 vaccine doses a day, Whatcom could conceivably reach having 70% of its eligible population initiating vaccination in a little over 17 days — basically by May 31.
‘Further incentive’
New recommendations released Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 “can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
The announcement comes as daily coronavirus cases have been on a steady decline since COVID-19 vaccines rolled out in the U.S., with deaths at their lowest point since last year.
Indoor activities considered safest for vaccinated people to remain maskless include visiting hair salons, going to an uncrowded mall or museum, eating in restaurants and participating in high intensity exercise classes, the CDC notes on its website.
Despite that guidance and Inslee’s announcement of the state reopening by June 30, area doctors say Whatcom County residents need to continue to vigilant.
“The decision (Thursday) still needs to go through several steps before it’s implemented in our state; regardless, it’s important to emphasize that the guidelines related to masking only apply to those people who have been fully vaccinated,” PeaceHealth Regional Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sudhakar Karlapudi told The Bellingham Herald in an emailed statement.
“The vaccine is the ticket to a successful reopening. We will continue to experience peaks of positive cases, hospitals and deaths until enough people receive the vaccine. I sincerely hope that if these guidelines go into effect in Washington, people look at them as further incentive to get a vaccine.”
Point Roberts ferry
The Port of Bellingham is making some adjustments to its ferry schedule between Bellingham and Point Roberts.
Beginning Thursday, June 3, the passenger only ferry service will switch to Mondays and Thursdays. The service is between the Point Roberts Marina and the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven.
The ferry service is currently being offered on Tuesdays and Fridays. It has also begun to allow up to six bicycles per trip.
The Port has been offering emergency ferry service from Point Roberts to mainland Whatcom County since August 2020 to help address transportation challenges caused by the ongoing closure of the U.S.- Canada border to non-essential travel.
The border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020 and border restrictions have been extended through at least Friday, May 21. U.S. residents entering Canada without COVID-19 symptoms are currently required to quarantine for 14 days.
The two-hour ferry ride between Point Roberts and Bellingham is provided on San Juan Cruises’ 100-foot vessel Salish Express.
Departure and arrival times as well as the sailing frequency may change based on passenger input and demand, so check the Port’s website for the latest schedule information.
—Dave Gallagher (dgallagher@bhamherald.com)
Bellingham schools vaccine clinic
Bellingham Public Schools announced in a email that it will hold vaccine clinics for district students 12 years old and over and their household members from 7:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Thursday, May 20, at all three high schools.
Rite Aid Pharmacy staff will administer the Pfizer vaccine at Sehome and Squalicum high schools, while Unity Care NW will handle those duties at Bellingham High.
Students under the age of 18 must have a completed consent form signed by their parent or guardian to receive the vaccine.
A second dose clinic will be held at the same locations the last week of the school year.
Online registration is allowed to reserve a spot.
“We encourage all families to consider immunizing their student against COVID-19 for not just for their individual health, but the health and safety of our schools and community,” the district’s email read.
Ferndale pop-up clinic
The Ferndale Chamber of Commerce will host the North County Vaccination Party Pop-up Clinic from 3-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, at the Pioneer Pavilion. The event is a community collaboration with Lhaq’temish Foundation, Lummi Tribal Health, Washington National Guard, Washington State Department of Health, Whatcom County Health Department, and the City of Ferndale.
The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered at the clinic, and Ferndale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Anya Milton said the event expects to have 300 doses available.
As an incentive, a voucher for a beverage from one of several local North County establishments will be given to those who get vaccinated, and the event will include a raffle and music.
Though online registration is advised, walk-ins are welcome, according to the event’s Facebook page.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Friday evening:
▪ The U.S. has more than 32.8 million reported cases, than 585,000 deaths and 268.0 million vaccine doses administered — all most of any nation.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 161.5 million reported cases, 3.3 million deaths and 1.4 billion vaccine doses administered.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Friday evening:
▪ 389,086 confirmed cases, up 2,183 from the last report.
▪ 32,671 probable cases, up 192 from the last report.
▪ 23,159 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, up 100from the last report.
▪ 6,781,271 total molecular tests, up 21,053 from the last report.
▪ 5,622 deaths related to COVID-19, down four from the last report.
This story was originally published May 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
