Rates were up across the county, but one Whatcom region sees its infection rate double
COVID-19 infection rates took significant jumps in all seven Whatcom County regions last week, but one region saw its rate double to the highest rate any region as seen since early February.
The two-week infection rate in the region covered by the Nooksack Valley School District climbed to more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the Whatcom County Health Department’s latest local data released Tuesday, Aug. 24.
That means that more than one in every 200 people who live in the Nooksack Valley region have been infected with COVID in the past two weeks.
The last time any of Whatcom’s seven school district regions saw a rate surpass 500 was in the Feb. 9 report, when the Ferndale region had a rate of 580 and the Lynden and Nooksack Valley regions each had rates of more than 600.
Additionally, Nooksack’s two-week hospitalization rate went from zero last week to nearly 35 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents after this week.
Nooksack Valley was not alone in seeing big increases this week, though, as the Bellingham and Ferndale regions also saw triple-digit increases in their infection rates and only the Meridian region saw fewer than 20 new cases in the past week.
The county health department releases weekly data on the location of COVID-19 cases using school districts as geographical boundaries, including each region’s number of total cases during the pandemic, infection rate, hospitalization rate and percentage of residents who have initiated vaccination. Data in this week’s report was through Saturday, Aug. 21, and the infection and hospitalization rates reflect confirmed cases from Aug. 8-21.
Overall, Whatcom County saw a 5.0% growth in cases with 554 cases between Aug. 15 and Aug. 21 — up from the 432 new cases the county reported the previous week, according to the data.
With 986 cases in the past two weeks, Whatcom County has an overall infection rate of 438, based on 225,300 residents in the county. Six of the county’s regions had infection rates lower than that mark, according to the county’s data this week.
As of Aug. 21, the Washington State Department of Health reported that 62.9% of all Whatcom County residents had initiated vaccination and 57.3% had completed it.
Here is what the health department’s latest data showed for the seven regions in the county:
Bellingham: Up 6.6% (265 cases) since the Aug. 17 report to 4,271 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 268 last week to 377 this week. Approximately 72.0% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 13.3 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 in the past two weeks.
Blaine: Up 6.0% (48 cases) since the Aug. 17 report to 849 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 312 last week to 360 this week. Approximately 63.4% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 5.3 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Ferndale: Up 3.9% (87 cases) since the Aug. 17 report to 2,298 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 258 last week to 365 this week. Approximately 59.5% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 28.1 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Lynden: Up 3.0% (57 cases) since the Aug. 17 report to 1,953 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 334 last week to 395 this week. Approximately 48.9% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 9.3 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Meridian: Up 3.0% (18 cases) since the Aug. 17 report to 611 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 196 last week to 258 this week. Approximately 57.9% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 8.9 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Mount Baker: Up 5.2% (34 cases) since the Aug. 17 report to 685 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 255 last week to 336 this week. Approximately 42.0% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 6.2 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Nooksack Valley: Up 4.9% (45 cases) since the Aug. 17 report to 963 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 253 last week to 506 this week. Approximately 45.1% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 34.9 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
