Weekend temps may top 100 in Whatcom, but county’s COVID infection rate isn’t anymore
The temperatures this weekend in parts of Whatcom County are forecast to reach triple digits, but the county’s COVID-19 infection rate is no longer that high.
For the first time in 216 days, Whatcom County’s two-week total of new confirmed cases per 100,000 residents has dropped below 100. Whatcom’s infection rate stood at 95.6, according to the state’s Risk Assessment dashboard Thursday, June 24, based on the state’s most recent complete epidemiological data between June 3 and 16.
The last time Whatcom saw an infection rate in double digits was Nov. 20 — nearly a month before the first COVID vaccine was administered in the county. Since then, the rate has climbed to as high at 530 on Jan. 26.
Whatcom County also saw 10 new confirmed COVID cases reported on the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard Thursday, ut no new related hospitalizations or deaths.
Overall, the state reports Whatcom County has seen 9,443 confirmed cases, 471 hospitalizations and 103 related deaths during the pandemic. An additional 420 probable cases — unchanged 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 10 new cases reported, Whatcom’s daily average of reported cases decreased to 10.3 over the past week, and that was down from the 11.9 average from one week earlier (June 11-17).
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating eight patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, June 25, up one from the previous report.
The county averaged 2.6 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents between June 7 and 13 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 Wednesday, June 23, showed the county has now administered 221,825 vaccine doses and estimated that 68.6% of the county’s residents 16 and older have initiated vaccination, while 61.8% 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 Wednesday, 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 June 3.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Friday morning:
▪ The U.S. has more than 33.5 million reported cases, more than 603,000 deaths — both most of any nation — and 320.3 million vaccine doses administered.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 180.0 million reported cases, 3.9 million deaths and 2.7 billion vaccine doses administered.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Wednesday evening:
▪ 413,046 confirmed cases, up 465 from the last report.
▪ 36,445 probable cases, up 81 from the last report.
▪ 25,324 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, up 37 from the last report.
▪ 7,480,681 total molecular tests, up 13,203 from the last report.
▪ 5,898 deaths related to COVID-19, up nine from the last report.
This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 8:13 AM.
