Whatcom’s COVID case count increases by 16, as county nears 70% initiating vaccination
Whatcom County saw 16 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported over the weekend on the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard, including seven cases reported on Monday, June 28. One new COVID-related hospitalization was reported, but no new deaths.
Overall, Whatcom County has seen 9,470 confirmed cases, 474 hospitalizations and 103 related deaths during the pandemic, according to the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard. An additional 423 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.
Whatcom’s infection rate stood at 79.4, according to the state’s Risk Assessment dashboard Monday, based on the state’s most recent complete epidemiological data between June 7 and 20. It was the first time the county has had an infection rate in the 70s since Nov. 19.
With the seven new cases reported Monday, Whatcom’s daily average of reported cases decreased to 8.3 over the past week, and that was down from the 13.4 average from one week earlier (June 15-21). The average was last that low in early November, 2020.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating nine patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, up one from the previous report.
The county averaged 2.2 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents between June 11-17, 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 the county has now administered 225,214 vaccine doses and estimated that 69.2% of the county’s residents 16 and older have initiated vaccination, while 62.8% have completed it.
Both percentages are fourth highest in the state and were ahead of the overall percentages for the state, which reported it has administered 7,795,522 doses and that 66.3% of residents 16 and older have initiated vaccination and 60.4% have completed it.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced May 13 that the state will fully reopen from most COVID restrictions Wednesday, June 30 — it would have opened earlier if 70% of all residents 16 and older had initiated vaccination. The state still will reopen even though the 70% goal will not be met, the governor said.
Whatcom County had an average of 219 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 Friday, July 2, based on 2020 Washington State Office of Financial Management population estimates. For comparison, the state’s current daily rate of people initiating vaccination would not reach 70% until July 27.
PeaceHealth vaccine update
PeaceHealth has moved its COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic to its Cordata Main Clinic location, 4545 Cordata Parkway, and has one clinic scheduled this week from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 1.
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.
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.
Though appointments are recommended at the Cordata vaccine clinic, walk-ins are welcome.
Next week, PeaceHealth has clinics scheduled for:
▪ 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 6.
▪ 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 8.
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.
Whatcom weekly update
For the second straight week, Whatcom County’s weekly number of reported new confirmed COVID-19 cases did not reach triple digits.
Whatcom County’s case count grew by 61 last week, as its total number of cases during the pandemic grew from 9,402 on Saturday, June 19, to 9,463 on Saturday, June 26. That is the smallest weekly increase the county has seen since it had 50 new cases reported the last week of October.
Whatcom County also saw 11 new COVID-related hospitalizations reported last week, after seeing eight the week before, and no new COVID-related deaths were reported.
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 from 125.4 on June 18, according to the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard, to 92.1 on June 25.
▪ The number of reported vaccine doses administered in Whatcom County last week increased by 3,610 last week after growing by 7,915 doses the week before.
Numbers elsewhere
New coronavirus cases and deaths according to Johns Hopkins University Tuesday morning:
▪ The U.S. has more than 33.6 million reported cases, more than 604,000 deaths — both most of any nation — and 324.0 million vaccine doses administered.
▪ Worldwide, there are more than 181.5 million reported cases, 3.9 million deaths and 2.9 billion vaccine doses administered.
Washington state reported these numbers from the Department of Health Monday afternoon:
▪ 414,249 confirmed cases, up 526 from the last report.
▪ 36,681 probable cases, up 151 from the last report.
▪ 25,424 coronavirus-related hospitalizations, up 69 from the last report.
▪ 7,538,899 total molecular tests, up 37,741 from the last report.
▪ 5,911 deaths related to COVID-19, up nine from the last report.
