Whatcom’s weekly reported COVID case rate drops to lowest levels since early November
For the first time in more than seven months, Whatcom County’s seven-day average of new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard dipped into single digits.
With 13 new cases reported Tuesday, June 15, Whatcom now has averaged 9.9 new reported cases in the past week, according to data analysis by The Bellingham Herald.
The last time the county saw an average that low was Nov. 3, 2020, when it stood at 8.6 reported cases per day between Oct. 28 and Nov. 3. Since then, the county has seen a high of 107.0 on Jan. 17, when Whatcom was at the height of its post-holiday surge. As recently as a week ago (June 2-8), the county’s daily average was 26.9.
Additionally Tuesday, Whatcom saw one new COVID-related hospitalization reported by the state Tuesday and no new deaths.
Overall, the state reports Whatcom County has seen 9,331 confirmed cases, 462 hospitalizations and 101 related deaths during the pandemic. An additional 406 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.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating six patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, June 16, down one from the previous report.
The county’s infection rate was 146.9 cases per 100,000 residents, based on the most recent complete data between May 25 and June 7, according to the state’s Risk Assessment dashboard — Whatcom’s lowest mark since April 19. The county also averaged 9.2 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents between May 27 and June 4 according to analysis by The Bellingham Herald of the latest complete hospitalization data on the state’s epidemiological curves
The state’s vaccination report on Monday showed Whatcom County has administered 216,382 vaccine doses and estimated that 67.7% of the county’s residents 16 and older have initiated vaccination, while 60.3% have completed 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.
If the 70% goal isn’t met, the state will still reopen, the governor said on Thursday, June 3.
“Many people, myself included, are eager for our state to fully reopen,” Inslee said in a statement Tuesday. “I have said repeatedly we are going to do this on June 30 or when we hit 70% of people 16 and up initiating vaccinations — whichever happens first. We use age 16 and up as that population was eligible when we made the announcement.
“I am hopeful Washingtonians will get vaccinated for their own health and that of their loved ones, and to help move our state closer to a full reopening.
“For those who would advocate changing our strategy, we are on the two-yard line. We are not going to change the game plan now. We are going to see this through.”
Whatcom County had an average of 366 people per day initiate vaccination in the last week, according to The Herald’s analysis of the state’s latest vaccination numbers, and at that rate, Whatcom County is expected to reach 70% of eligible residents initiating vaccination by June 25. For comparison, the state’s current daily rate of people initiating vaccination would not reach 70% until July 18.
Whatcom vaccine update
The Whatcom County Health Department’s latest vaccine update Tuesday, June 15, did not include the number of vaccine doses county providers are expecting this week.
The update, however, did include a number of pop-up clinics that will be available throughout the county this week:
▪ 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 17, at North Fork Brewery, 6186 Mount Baker Highway, Deming. Moderna vaccine being offered. The Pints for Pokes event allows people to show their completed vaccination card within five days of vaccination completion by June 30 to receive a pint of beer. A second pop-up clinic is planned at the brewery from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, June 20.
▪ 3-6 p.m. Friday June 18, at the old Lynden Middle School gym, 516 Main Street, Lynden. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be offered, as well as free COVID-19 testing.
▪ 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 18, at Everson Elementary School, 216 Everson Goshen Road, Everson. The Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be offered.
▪ 1-3 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at WECU parking lot by Winco, 3970 Meridian St. The Pfizer vaccine will be offered at the Park & Poke COVID Vaccine Drive-up.
Additionally, the Community Vaccination Clinic at Bellingham Technical College will hold its final two clinics from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, June 16-17. Though anyone is welcome to get their second Moderna shot or the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccination, students at BTC, Whatcom Community College and Western Washington University can earn fun swag as part of College Days at the CVC.
Nooksack vaccination data
The Nooksack Tribal Clinic’s vaccination data has been entered into the Washington State Immunization Information System and should be reflected in the vaccination totals reported by the Washington State Department of Health coronavirus dashboard.
The Nooksack Tribe, like other tribal governments, received vaccine shipments directly from the federal government that was separate from what the state was allotted. That data previously had not been reported by the state’s Immunization Information System, but now that it is included, more than 1,000 more vaccinated individuals were added to Whatcom County’s total.
Vaccination data from the Lummi Nation was added to Whatcom’s total earlier this month.
“I want to express my gratitude to the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe,” Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu said in a release about the data. “You not only shared your allocation of life-saving vaccines but also dedicated hundreds of hours of staff time to get shots in arms. We will never forget your kindness and generosity.”
Vaccine truck drawing
Whatcom County residents 18 and older who get their first COVID-19 vaccine shot in the months of June or July can now sign up online for a chance to win an up-to-a-$60,000 vehicle of their choice at winatruckwhatcom.com.
The drawing is being held by the Chuckanut Health Foundation along with the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the health department to encourage those who have not yet been vaccinated to do so. The winner must provide proof that they are fully vaccinated before the date of the drawing.
“All three of the COVID-19 vaccines are proven to prevent infection and transmission, and in the rare event of post-vaccination infection, they prevent severe illness and hospitalization,” Family Care Network physician and Chuckanut Health Foundation board member Dr. Chao-ying Wu said in a release about the drawing. “Getting vaccinated is safe, effective and free. This is a great opportunity for all of us to do our part to keep ourselves and our family, friends, and neighbors safe from COVID-19, and get our community back on track.”
Joints for Jabs
Western Bud Cannabis Co. in Bellingham at 1401 Iowa St. will be offering a “Joints for Jabs” vaccination clinic from 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 18. Participants who receive a Moderna vaccine shot at the clinic will receive a pre-roll joint, according to the store’s website, which includes a link for pre-registration.
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board announced earlier this month that it would temporarily allow nearly 500 state-licensed cannabis retailers around the state to provide one joint to adult customers who receive a vaccination at in-store clinics through July 12.
Last week, the Associated Press reported that the Joints for Jabs program has gotten off to a rough start, with hurdles substantial enough that few shops have participated. Among the issues, the AP reported, are many shops say they don’t have the space to host an onsite vaccine clinic and concern by health care providers of losing federal funding. Some retailers also have asked why customers can’t simply show proof of vaccination, such as they are able to do at some breweries and wineries.
“We’re hearing from retailers that they want to be a part of this,” Aaron Pickus, a spokesman for the Washington CannaBusiness Association, told the AP. “Why can’t we do this like the wineries and breweries did it?”
Whatcom vaccination forum
What is expected to be the final COVID-19 vaccination forum hosted by the Whatcom County Health Department will be hosted from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 17.
The forum will be hosted by Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach, and she will be joined by Guy Occhiogrosso, president/CEO, Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce; Barbara Chase, executive director, Whatcom Business Alliance; Paul Hanson, co-owner, Village Books; and Erika Creydt, director of behavioral health, TouchStone Health Clinic, according to a release.
The forum is open to anyone and can be viewed on YouTube, but there will be no Q&A session.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Wednesday morning:
▪ The U.S. has more than 33.4 million reported cases, more than 600,000 deaths — both most of any nation — and 311.5 million vaccine doses administered.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 176.7 million reported cases, 3.8 million deaths and 2.4 billion vaccine doses administered.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Tuesday evening:
▪ 409,361 confirmed cases, up 362 from the last report.
▪ 35,794 probable cases, up 71 from the last report.
▪ 24,879 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, up 32 from the last report.
▪ 7,394,752 total molecular tests, up 10,723 from the last report.
▪ 5,800 deaths related to COVID-19, up 18 from the last report.
