COVID spread continues to slow in Whatcom, as vaccination efforts approach milestone
For the first time in 31 weeks, Whatcom County’s weekly number of reported new confirmed COVID-19 cases did not reach triple digits.
Whatcom County’s case total grew by 92 last week, as its total number of cases during the pandemic grew from 9,310 on Saturday, June 12, to 9,402 on Saturday, June 19. Last week’s total included 15 new confirmed cases reported Saturday, according to the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID Dashboard.
The last time the county saw a weekly case count that low was the first week of November when it had 84 cases the week between Nov. 1 and 7. In the 31 weeks after then, Whatcom has averaged seeing 248.9 cases per week.
Whatcom County also saw five new COVID-related hospitalizations reported last week — none were reported Saturday — after seeing 13 the week before. Whatcom also saw its COVID-related death total increase by four last week, though all four deaths were for people who first tested positive in May.
St. Joseph hospital reported it was treating seven COVID patients on Monday, June 21, which was unchanged from the report Sunday, June 13.
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) decreased to 125.4 on Friday, June 18, according to the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard, down from 164.9 on June 11.
▪ 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) decreased from 7.9 last week to 7.0 on Friday, according to analysis by The Bellingham Herald.
▪ The number of reported vaccine doses administered in Whatcom County last week increased 23.8% from the previous week — increasing from 5,392 reported the week of June 8 to 7,915 last week.
▪ In its most recent report, the state estimated 68.1% of all Whatcom residents 16 and over had initiated vaccination as of Wednesday, June 16 — the fourth-best rate among the state’s 39 counties. Whatcom also ranked fourth with 61.1% of all residents 16 and older completing vaccination.
▪ The county averaged administering 893.7 initial doses of the vaccine, according to analysis by The Herald of data reported last week, and at that rate, the county could have passed the goal of 70% of residents 16 and older initiating vaccination on Sunday.
PeaceHealth vaccine update
PeaceHealth in Whatcom County has the supply to distribute 575 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week and 425 second doses, according to its weekly vaccine update on Monday.
As all doses are the Pfizer vaccine, individuals 12 and older are eligible to receive doses, though parental consent is needed for those under 18.
PeaceHealth reported it will continue to scale its vaccine distribution as community demand requires, and that includes closing its vaccination clinic at the Health Education Center on the main PeaceHealth St. Joseph campus on Friday, June 25, and transitioning to a vaccine clinic at the Cordata Main clinic, 4545 Cordata Parkway.
The final two clinics at the Health Education Center will be:
▪ 3-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 22.
▪ 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, June 25.
The Cordata Main Clinic will begin July 1 and is scheduled to run through Aug. 26, operating from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. There will also be clinics on three Saturdays — July 17 and Aug. 7 and 28.
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.
Scheduling online is strongly recommended, but walk-ins will be accepted at the clinics.
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.
Who is getting vaccinated?
Last week, the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard began releasing county-by-county breakdowns of who is getting vaccinated.
The data shows that Whatcom County women are getting vaccinated at a higher rate than men, with 68.2% of women initiating vaccination and 59.6% completing it. That compares to 61.7% of Whatcom men initiating vaccination and 53.2% completing it, as of June 16.
Here is what the state data showed for age groups in Whatcom County:
▪ 12-17: 35.3% initiating, 18.3% completing.
▪ 18-34: 59.8% initiating, 50.3% completing.
▪ 35-49: 70.6% initiating, 61.2% completing.
▪ 50-64: 64.4% initiating, 57.4% completing.
▪ 65 and older: 78.4% initiating, 73.1% completing.
The state also broke down vaccination numbers by race/ethnicity:
▪ White: 89,396 initiating and 78,693 completing. Based on 2019 U.S. Census estimates, that’s 50.0% initiating and 43.9% completing per 100,000 Whatcom residents who identify as white.
▪ Asian: 5,945 initiating and 5,065 completing. Based on 2019 U.S. Census estimates, that’s 68.6% initiating and 58.4% completing per 100,000 Whatcom residents who identify as Asian.
▪ Hispanic: 6,835 initiating and 5,499 completing. Based on 2019 U.S. Census estimates, that’s 30.4% initiating and 24.5% completing per 100,000 Whatcom residents who identify as Hispanic.
▪ Black: 1,276 initiating and 1,038 completing. Based on 2019 U.S. Census estimates, that’s 68.3% initiating and 55.5% completing per 100,000 Whatcom residents who identify as Black.
▪ American Indian or Alaska Native: 3,550 initiating and 3,052 completing. Based on 2019 U.S. Census estimates, that’s 69.2% initiating and 59.5% completing per 100,000 Whatcom residents who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native.
▪ Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 518 initiating and 424 completing. Based on 2019 U.S. Census estimates, that’s 76.9% initiating and 62.9% completing per 100,000 Whatcom residents who identify as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
▪ Other race: 13,509 initiating and 11,685 completing. Based on 2019 U.S. Census estimates, that’s 55.6% initiating and 48.1% completing per 100,000 Whatcom residents who identify as a race/ethnicity different from the six above.
Race/ethnicity was not known for 8,460 residents who imitated vaccination and 7,022 who completed it, according to the state.
