Whatcom sees 300 confirmed COVID cases last week, as hospital sets pandemic record high
Whatcom County plunged deeper into its fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic last week, as its reported weekly caseload reached levels last seen in early February and St. Joseph hospital saw its highest number of COVID patients during the pandemic.
Additionally, Lighthouse Mission Ministries reported it was working through an outbreak at Base Camp.
With 54 new confirmed COVID cases reported Friday, Aug. 13, Whatcom County saw a total of 300 confirmed cases last week, according to the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard. The last time the county topped that mark was when it had 364 reported the week of Jan. 31 through Feb. 6.
It was the fourth straight week Whatcom has seen a triple-digit increase in confirmed cases, as Whatcom’s weekly reported caseload has climbed 436% in the past five weeks.
“We are all disappointed that we’re entering another significant surge, after much community effort to re-open our economy and ensure access to vaccines,” Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach said in a release Friday. “Vaccination is key to getting out of this pandemic, and if you haven’t yet gotten vaccinated, I urge you to do it now. But we also need to use all other tools available to us, including masks.”
Overall, Whatcom County had had 10,391 confirmed COVID cases during the pandemic, according to the state, which reported an additional 529 probable cases — an increase of 17 on Friday and 41 overall last week — resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.
COVID-related hospitalizations also continued to climb, as St. Joseph hospital reported it set a record of treating 34 COVID-positive patients on Saturday, Aug. 14. The previous high was 31, which was the total the hospital reported it was treating as of Monday, Aug. 16.
After seeing the numbers climb last week, PeaceHealth announced in a Facebook post that it is restricting visitation at St. Joseph hospital.
For the pandemic, the state reported Whatcom County has had 534 COVID-related hospitalizations, an increase of two on Friday and 21 all of last week.
“Right now our community is facing even higher levels of infection, but we’re not helpless,” Whatcom County Health Officer Dr. Greg Stern said in Friday’s release. “We can protect ourselves and our community from this dangerous virus by taking immediate, familiar preventive actions that have worked in the past, and with more people getting vaccinated, can turn things around this time.
Other Whatcom County COVID numbers show:
▪ 97.3% of Whatcom County’s 3,537 COVID cases between February and June were in residents who were not fully vaccinated, according to the state’s latest breakthrough report.
▪ Whatcom’s two-week infection rate increased to 197.7 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recent complete epidemiological data between July 23 and Aug. 5, according to the state’s risk assessment dashboard, up from 133.3 a week earlier for data between July 16 and July 29. The last time the county’s infection rate was that high was June 3, when it was 198.2.
▪ Whatcom’s COVID-related weekly hospitalization rate climbed to 5.3 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recent completed data between July 27 and Aug. 2, according to The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data, up from 3.5 a week earlier for data between July 20 and July 26.
▪ The state reports that 1.0% of Whatcom’s 10,920 total cases (confirmed and probable cases combined) have resulted in death — better than the statewide 1.2% average.
▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 239,355 vaccine doses — an increase of 2,260 and more than the 1,808 administered the week before — and estimated that 62.1% of the total population in the county had initiated vaccination and 56.7% had completed it. Both were ahead of the overall percentages for the state, which reported that 58.6% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 53.6% are fully vaccinated.
▪ Whatcom’s COVID test positivity rate was not available, due to a delay in completed test result reporting from the state Department of Health. The county health department announced that testing capacity at the Bellingham International Airport test site it operates in cooperation with Northwest Laboratories has been strained due to higher infection rates and demand from travelers.
▪ The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker continued to list the level of transmission in Whatcom County at “High” (the highest of four classifications). Only two Washington state’s 39 counties (Ferry and Garfield) were not listed in the “High” transmission classification.
Base Camp COVID outbreak
Lighthouse Mission Ministries on Sunday, Aug. 15, announced that its homeless service center in Bellingham, Base Camp, is experiencing a COVID outbreak.
As of Sunday, 24 temporary residents at Base Camp had tested positive for COVID and had been transferred to the Isolation and Quarantine Facility in Bellingham, according to a ministry news release. No staff members have tested positive.
Of the 14 people who tested positive Friday and Saturday, one was fully vaccinated and was experiencing “mild” symptoms, according to the release.
“The team at Base Camp is working with competence and heart, in cooperation with the Whatcom County Health Department, to take the steps necessary in keeping everyone safe from this variant,” Lighthouse Mission Executive Director Hans Erchinger-Davis said in the release. “We will monitor the situation until it’s stamped out.”
The ministry reported it is rapid testing all guests on a daily basis, encouraging social distancing and mask-wearing among staff and guests, checking all staff members for symptoms and following a thorough daily cleaning regime, the release stated. Base Camp also has halted volunteer support and limited access to the dayroom and courtyard to overnight guests only.
“With the Lighthouse Mission serving half the homeless population of Whatcom County year-round we don’t have the option to shut down services,” Erchinger-Davis said in the release. “Whether we’re dealing with the recent heat or the Delta variant, we are indebted to a generous community helping keep our doors open and our teams on the front lines keeping people safe and transforming lives.”
Whatcom County mask wearing
Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 17, Whatcom County will require all staff and the public, including those who have been vaccinated, to wear a face covering in common areas of county buildings, an email to employees from Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu said Monday.
Employees also will be required to wear a mask driving in county vehicles with others or when working with the public, according to the letter, though those who are in a private office will not need to wear a mask.
Signs in public areas of county buildings are being updated with the new requirements.
“Whatcom County strongly desires for all employees to be vaccinated to help end the pandemic,” Sidhu said in the letter. “Please consider vaccination if you have not already and seek information to stay informed.”
PeaceHealth vaccine update
PeaceHealth will host one COVID-19 vaccine clinic this week from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, at the Cordata Main Clinic location, 4545 Cordata Parkway.
Though appointments are recommended at the Cordata vaccine clinic, walk-ins are welcome. Schedule an online appointment through PeaceHealth’s new COVID-19 online scheduling tool at my.peacehealth.org.
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.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 9:39 AM.
