Whatcom vaccinations on track for 70% by June 29, but 37 new COVID-19 cases reported
Whatcom County is slightly ahead of state averages in vaccinations but saw 37 new COVID-19 cases in the most recent numbers reported on the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard.
The state’s latest report showed Whatcom County had 35 new COVID-19 cases for a total of 9,084 confirmed cases, 430 hospitalizations — up three from the last report — and 98 related deaths during the pandemic, according to state data. An additional 382 probable cases — up 11 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 new cases, Whatcom County’s daily average of new reported cases over the past week decreased to 23.4, lower than the 29.0 average from one week earlier.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 20 COVID-related patients on Wednesday, June 2 — up from 17 a day earlier.
During the pandemic, 1.0% of Whatcom’s 9,466 total cases (confirmed and probable cases combined) have resulted in death — better than the statewide 1.3% average of total cases.
The latest vaccination report, from Tuesday, June 1, showed Whatcom County has administered 193,581 vaccine doses and estimated that 62.97% of the county’s residents 16 and older have initiated vaccination, while 54.29% have completed it. Statewide, those averages were 62.64% initiating vaccination and 53.89% completing it.
On May 18 all counties throughout the state returned to Phase 3 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery plan. Additionally, Inslee announced May 13 that the state will fully reopen by June 30 — earlier if 70% of all residents 16 and older initiate vaccination.
Though data other than vaccinations is no longer measured in the reopening plan, Whatcom County would be failing one of two metrics the state previously used to determine if it would stay in Phase 3.
▪ The county has an infection rate of 199.6 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents between May 11-24, the latest data available, according to the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard, meaning Whatcom would have met the state guideline of 200 or less to remain in Phase 3.
▪ The county averaged 5.3 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents from May 15-21, according to The Herald’s analysis of the state epidemiological data, meaning Whatcom would have missed the state guideline of 5.0 or less to remain in Phase 3.
▪ Based on the latest vaccination report, The Herald estimates Whatcom County still needs 13,262 more residents 16 and older to initiate vaccination to reach 70% of the eligible population. In the last seven days of data, an average of 464 Whatcom County residents per day initiated vaccination. At that rate, it would take the county until June 29 (about 29 days) to reach 70% of all residents 16 and older initiating vaccination. The average number of vaccinations dropped from 543 from the last report. It should take the state until June 30 to reach 70% vaccination at its current daily rate.
Vaccination center to close
The Community Vaccination Center at Bellingham Technical College will stop vaccinating people against COVID-19 on June 17 because interest has waned, according to the Whatcom County Health Department. But that doesn’t mean vaccinations will end, just that such efforts will be going on the road.
About 8,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given so far, the health department said in a news release on Tuesday.
The clinic started vaccinating people in March.
“As with other mass vaccination sites around the state and the country, we’re seeing a drop in demand at the CVC,” said Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department, in the release.
“Nursing students have played a large role in staffing the CVC, and the current student group will be moving on as the academic quarter ends. With these changes, it makes sense to transition our vaccination efforts to mobile and pop-up clinics,” Lautenbach said.
Eight more vaccination clinics will be held at the site.
The last two are scheduled for the middle of the day and will focus on vaccinating students and employees of colleges in Whatcom County, although they also will be open to the general public, according to the release.
The final clinics are set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 16 and June 17, and will offer the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Make appointments at prepmod.doh.wa.gov or 360-778-6075.
Although the vaccination center will close, the equipment used during its operation will remain in place through the summer in case large-scale vaccination needs to be restarted quickly, according to the release.
— Kie Relyea, krelyea@bhamherald.com
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Tuesday night:
▪ The U.S. has more than 33.28 million reported cases, more than 595,207 deaths — both most of any nation — and 296.1 million vaccine doses administered, second only to China, which reports 661.46 million.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 171.03 million reported cases, 3.557 million deaths and 1.93 billion vaccine doses administered.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Tuesday evening:
▪ 402,536 confirmed cases, up 1,010 from the last report.
▪ 34,448 probable cases, up 125 from the last report.
▪ 24,254 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, up 123 from the last report.
▪ 7,189,495 total molecular tests, up 35,413 from the last report.
▪ 5,789 deaths related to COVID-19, up 24 from the last report.
This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
CORRECTION: The total number of Whatcom County’s confirmed cases was corrected June 2, 2021.
