Whatcom’s high COVID case rates ‘indicate we’ve not yet seen a peak with this surge’
Whatcom County endured one of its worst weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic last week, seeing the highest number of reported cases and hospitalizations it’s had since last January’s peak.
“We’re in the midst of another COVID surge — both in terms of cases and hospitalizations are increasing rapidly,” Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach said in an online briefing Friday, Aug. 20. “Our continuing high case rates indicate we’ve not yet seen a peak with this surge. … These are the kinds of case rates we haven’t not seen since the height of the January surge.”
Washington state’s indoor mask mandate went into effect Monday for all people age 5 and up, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are required in most public indoor spaces, including restaurants, grocery stores, malls and offices visited by others.
Whatcom County had a total of 440 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard last week, as its pandemic total grew from 10,391 on Aug. 13 to 10,831 Friday.
That was the fourth-largest weekly gain Whatcom County has seen during the pandemic, topped only by three straight weeks of 500-plus case counts the county saw the first three full weeks of 2021.
Add in the 99 additional probable cases reported last week, and Whatcom County surpassed 500 total cases and had the second-most total cases its seen reported so far, behind only the 656 total cases seen Jan. 3-9, when Whatcom had 653 confirmed cases and three probable cases.
Cases are increasing among both the vaccinated and unvaccinated, Lautenbach said, though at different rates.
Preliminary data shows that approximately 162.5 unvaccinated people per 100,000 are being infected with COVID every two weeks, while the two-week infection rate for fully vaccinated residents is 32.6 per 100,000. Those numbers are up from 150.5 (unvaccinated) and 2.5 (vaccinated) in early July and 104.6 (unvaccinated) and 11.3 (vaccinated) in late July.
“The surge is alarming and of course disappointing, given all we’ve done to control this pandemic,” Lautenbach said. “We have been taking a closer look to find out what’s going on.”
The increased prevalence of the delta variant has played a big part in the increases Whatcom County is seeing, Lautenbach said.
Last week, the state reported that Whatcom County has had 137 confirmed delta cases, an increase of 95 reported a week earlier.
“Although data shows that unvaccinated people are at a much higher risk of severe disease should they become infected, there is an increase in symptomatic severe disease among vaccinated persons who are infected with delta compared to other persons who are infected with other strains,” Lautenbach said.
COVID-related hospitalizations in Whatcom County also had a bad week.
In addition to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham smashing the record for daily number of patients being treated for COVID-related symptoms with 37 on Tuesday, Aug. 17, Whatcom saw a total of 26 new reported COVID-related hospitalizations last week. The county has now seen a total of 560 hospitalizations so far during the pandemic, according to state data.
The 26 represent the third-most Whatcom has seen in a week, trailing only the 27 and 28 seen the weeks of Jan. 3 and Jan. 17, respectively.
St. Joseph hospital reported Monday that it was treating 34 COVID patients.
“Let’s be clear, most of our local numbers who need hospital care for COVID are unvaccinated,” Lautenbach said. “According to Washington state, unvaccinated people ages 16 to 44 and 45 to 65 are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who are fully vaccinated. Admissions are about six times higher for unvaccinated people ages 65 and up.
“But the growing proportion of vaccinated cases who require hospitalization among that 65-plus age group is cause for concern and action.”
More Whatcom numbers
Other Whatcom County COVID data shows:
▪ 95.2% of Whatcom County’s 3,537 COVID cases between February and July were in residents who were not fully vaccinated, according to the state’s latest COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths in Persons Who Are Not Fully Vaccinated report.
▪ Whatcom’s two-week infection rate increased to 276.3 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recent complete epidemiological data between July 30 and Aug. 12, according to the state’s risk assessment dashboard, up from 197.7 a week earlier for data between July 23 and Aug. 5. The last time the county’s infection rate was that high was Feb. 23, when it was 279.2.
▪ Whatcom’s COVID-related weekly hospitalization rate climbed to 10.5 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recent completed data between Aug. 3 and 9, according to The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data, up from 5.3 a week earlier for data between July 27 and Aug. 2.
▪ The state reports that 1.0% of Whatcom’s 11,459 total cases (confirmed and probable cases combined) have resulted in death — better than the statewide 1.2% average. Whatcom saw its first COVID-related death reported in more than three weeks on Friday. That person first tested positive for COVID on Aug. 6 and is the first epidemiological death this month after there was one during July.
▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 241,723 vaccine doses — an increase of 2,368 and more than the 2,260 administered the week before — and estimated that 62.6% of the total population in the county had initiated vaccination and 57.1% had completed it. Both percentages were ahead the averages across the state, which reported that 59.3% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 54.0% are fully vaccinated.
▪ Whatcom’s weekly COVID test positivity rate for completed data between July 30 and Aug. 5 was 7.2% (249 positives out of 3,473 tests). That’s up from 3.23% (119 positives out of 3,681 tests) a week earlier.
▪ The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker on Monday continued to list the level of transmission in Whatcom County at “High” (the highest of four classifications). All 39 counties in Washington state are listed in the “High” category.
PeaceHealth vaccine update
PeaceHealth will host one COVID-19 vaccine clinic this week from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, 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 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. The Pfizer vaccine received full FDA approval on Monday.
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 23, 2021 at 10:46 AM.
