While COVID rate climbs in one Whatcom region, two others see lowest marks since October
While one of Whatcom County’s seven school district regions saw its COVID-19 infection rate increase last week, two others saw their rates drop to their lowest levels since October.
The region covered by the Blaine School District was the only region to see its rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks increase, when the Whatcom County Health Department released its newest location data on Tuesday, June 22. Despite that slight increase, Blaine remained the region with the second-lowest infection rate in the county.
The lowest rate belonged to Bellingham, which dropped to its lowest mark since Oct. 12. The Ferndale region also saw its best infect rate since Oct. 27.
Overall, the county saw the two-week infection rates in all seven regions dip below 200 cases per 100,000 residents for the first time since the week before Thanksgiving. Four regions had rates lower than 100.
The county health department releases weekly data on the location of COVID-19 cases using school districts as geographical boundaries, including each region’s number of total cases during the pandemic, infection rate and percentage of residents who have initiated vaccination. Data in Tuesday’s report was through Saturday, June 19, and the infection rates reflect confirmed cases from June 6 and June 19.
Overall, Whatcom County saw a 1.0% growth in cases (97 cases) between June 13 and 19 — down from the 1.2% growth and 118 new cases the county reported the previous week.
With 215 cases the past two weeks, Whatcom County has an overall infection rate of 96, based on 225,300 residents in the county. Four of the county’s regions had infection rates lower than that mark, according to the county’s data this week.
As of June 20, the Washington State Department of Health reported that 58.3% of all Whatcom County residents had initiated vaccination and 52.2% had completed it.
Here is what the health department’s latest data showed for the seven regions in the county:
Bellingham: Up 0.6% (21 cases) since the June 15 report to 3,484 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 68 last week to 41 this week. Approximately 67.6% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination.
Blaine: Up 0.9% (six cases) since the June 15 report to 650 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 53 last week to 69 this week. Approximately 57.8% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination.
Ferndale: Up 0.9% (17 cases) since the June 15 report to 1,975 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 109 last week to 93 this week. Approximately 53.9% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination.
Lynden: Up 1.3% (23 cases) since the June 15 report to 1,729 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 246 last week to 186 this week. Approximately 43.5% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination.
Meridian: Up 2.2% (12 cases) since the June 15 report to 552 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 187 last week to 152 this week. Approximately 54.7% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination.
Mount Baker: Up 1.3% (seven cases) since the June 15 report to 567 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 143 last week to 93 this week. Approximately 38.7% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination.
Nooksack Valley: Up 1.3% (11 cases) since the June 15 report to 854 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 139 last week to 122 this week. Approximately 38.3% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination.
