Whatcom settles in for fifth wave with largest weekly COVID increase in two months
Whatcom County saw its largest weekly increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in nearly two months, as 150 new cases were reported last week on the Washington State Department of Health’s coronavirus dashboard.
Whatcom also saw 13 new COVID-related hospitalizations and one new related death last week, according to the state’s data.
As of data released Friday, July 30, Whatcom County had seen 9,885 confirmed cases, 505 hospitalizations and 109 related deaths during the pandemic, according to the dashboard. An additional 458 probable cases — an increase of 16 over the last week — have been reported in Whatcom County during the pandemic, resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.
The 150 cases reported last week, up from 104 the week before, were the most Whatcom has seen in a week since 157 were reported the week of May 31.
The death reported last week was for a person who first tested positive for COVID on Oct. 14, according to the state’s epidemiological curves. No other information about the person who died, such as gender, age or hometown was reported. So far, Whatcom County has seen only one person who first tested positive for COVID during the month of July die, according to the curves, after seeing three in June.
Earlier last week, the state also reported that the number of confirmed delta variant cases in Whatcom County jumped from one to 11.
“We expect the number of Delta cases to increase, given the way it’s spreading in the state,” Whatcom County Health Department spokesperson Scarlet Tang told The Bellingham Herald in an email last week. “It’s likely that cases are increasing due to a number of factors, including how contagious Delta is, increased social gatherings and travel, and the lifting of most restrictions.”
Other Whatcom County COVID numbers show:
▪ Whatcom’s infection rate increased to 85.8 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recent complete epidemiological data between July 9 and 22, up from 58.8 a week earlier for data between July 2 and 15.
▪ Whatcom’s COVID-related infection rate climbed to 3.1 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recent completed data between July 12 and 18, up from 0.88 a week earlier for data between July 5 and 11.
▪ The state reports that 1.1% of Whatcom’s 10,070 total cases (confirmed and probable cases combined) have resulted in death — better than the statewide 1.3% average.
▪ St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham Monday, reported it was treating 10 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, up two from Sunday and double last Monday’s report.
▪ The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker lists the level of transmission in Whatcom County at “Substantial” (the third highest of four classifications).
▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 235,287 vaccine doses — an increase of 2,485 but less than the 2,716 administered the week before — and estimated that 61.0% of the total population in the county had initiated vaccination and 55.9% had completed it. Both were ahead of the overall percentages for the state, which reported that 57.3% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 52.6% are fully vaccinated.
PeaceHealth vaccine update
PeaceHealth will host two COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics this week at the Cordata Main Clinic location, 4545 Cordata Parkway:
▪ 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3.
▪ 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 7.
Though appointments are recommended at the Cordata vaccine clinic, walk-ins are welcome. Schedule an online appointment through PeaceHealth’s COVID-19 online scheduling tool at http://ow.ly/vdhU50E0Nu0 .
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.
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 monthly update
Thanks to some lower case numbers early in the month, Whatcom County saw fewer COVID cases reported per day in July than it has in any month since October of 2020.
The county saw 12.97 new confirmed cases reported per day during July, as the case count grew from 9,483 on June 30 to 9,885 on July 30 (the state does not release new data on Saturdays or Sundays).
The last time Whatcom’s daily average was that low was October, when it averaged 8.23 cases reported per day. July’s average was less than June’s 14.53 cases per day.
Whatcom had six COVID-related deaths reported in July, though only one was for a person who first tested positive for COVID-19 in the month of July. That was up from five deaths reported in June.
COVID-related hospitalizations were down, though, with 30 reported in July, down from 48 in June.
Long-term care update
Whatcom County had six new COVID-19 cases and two new related deaths associated with its long-term care facilities the last two weeks, according to the Washington State Department of Health’s latest COVID-19 Long-Term Care Report.
According to the report, which was released Tuesday, July 27, and reflected data through Monday, July 26, Whatcom County long-term care facilities have had 392 confirmed cases during the pandemic. The number of COVID-related deaths related to Whatcom’s long-term care facilities climbed to 50, according to the state’s data.
The 392 cases mean that long-term care facilities had 4.0% of the total cases reported in Whatcom County as of July 26, while the 50 related deaths represent 46.2% of the county’s death total.
Statewide, long-term care facilities have been associated with 20,861 cases (4% of the state’s total cases) and 2,686 related deaths (44% of the state’s death total).
This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 12:27 PM.
