Two Whatcom regions have vaccination rates lower than 30%, while Bellingham doubles that
Less than 50% of all Whatcom County residents have been initiated a COVID-19 vaccination, but new data released Tuesday, May 18, by the Whatcom County Health Department shows not all parts of the county are being vaccinated at equal rates.
While 60.3% of residents who reside in the region of the county covered by Bellingham Public Schools have initiated vaccination, no other school district region has had more than half of its residents initiate a vaccine, and two regions have had less than 30% begin vaccination.
As it has with COVID cases and infection rates throughout the pandemic, the county health department has broken down vaccination data geographically, using Whatcom’s seven school districts as boundaries.
“We know that transportation challenges may pose barriers to vaccination, and many of the vaccination sites have been concentrated in the more urban areas of the county,” Whatcom County Health Department spokesperson Jennifer Moon told The Bellingham Herald in an email. “We are relying on this data to inform our work with community groups who may be interested in sponsoring ‘pop-up’ clinics and with vaccine providers to expand vaccination opportunities to more rural parts of the county.”
The data released Tuesday by the health department, which is from information provided from the Washington State Department of Health through Monday, May 17, shows:
▪ With 60.3% of Bellingham residents vaccinated, that means approximately 66,903 residents within school district boundaries have begun vaccination, based on 2019 U.S. Census Bureau five-year estimates and analysis by The Herald.
▪ 49.2% of residents in the region covered by the Blaine School District have initiated vaccination. That means approximately 8,715 residents within school district boundaries have begun vaccination, based on Census estimates and The Herald’s analysis.
▪ 46.8% of residents in the region covered by the Meridian School District have initiated vaccination. That means approximately 5,522 residents within school district boundaries have begun vaccination, based on Census estimates and The Herald’s analysis.
▪ 40.7% of residents in the region covered by the Ferndale School District have initiated vaccination. That means approximately 13,720 residents within school district boundaries have begun vaccination, based on Census estimates and The Herald’s analysis.
▪ 36.4% of residents in the region covered by the Lynden School District have initiated vaccination. That means approximately 7,546 residents within school district boundaries have begun vaccination, based on Census estimates and The Herald’s analysis.
▪ 29.1% of residents in the region covered by the Mount Baker School District have initiated vaccination. That means approximately 4,383 residents within school district boundaries have begun vaccination, based on Census estimates and The Herald’s analysis.
▪ 28.5% of residents in the region covered by the Nooksack Valley School District have initiated vaccination. That means approximately 3,085 residents within school district boundaries have begun vaccination, based on Census estimates and The Herald’s analysis.
The data does not include vaccination information from the Lummi Nation or Nooksack Indian Tribe, the health department told The Herald, so percentages of those who have initiated vaccination in the Ferndale and Mount Baker regions may be higher.
Whatcom’s age distribution
The county health department also released age-range data for vaccinations Tuesday, which was highlighted by a 7.2% vaccination initiation rate for Whatcom’s residents between 12 and 15 years old — residents who were not eligible to begin receiving the Pfizer vaccination until Wednesday, May 12.
Additionally, the data showed Whatcom County residents:
▪ 16-17 years old: 33.4% had initiated vaccination and 21.6% had completed it.
▪ 18-24 years old: 43.7% had initiated vaccination and 28.6% had completed it.
▪ 25-49 years old: 60.9% had initiated vaccination and 44.7% had completed it.
▪ 50-64 years old: 57.9% had initiated vaccination and 46.0% had completed it.
▪ 65 and older: 74.4% had initiated vaccination and 67.3% had completed it.
No vaccine is currently approved for residents younger than 12.
As of Monday’s report, a total of 169,276 doses of vaccine had been administered in Whatcom County, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.
The state reported 110,468 Whatcom County residents had initiated vaccination, which represents 58.59% of all eligible residents 16 and older. The state also reported 88,496 Whatcom residents had completed vaccination, which represents 46.94% of all eligible residents.
This story was originally published May 18, 2021 at 11:04 AM.
