Whatcom sees second-highest weekly COVID increase of pandemic and another death reported
As Whatcom County surpassed 18 months since its first resident tested positive for COVID-19, the county also saw its second-highest weekly case count of the pandemic and had another death reported.
Whatcom County had 569 new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported by the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard last week, including 82 new cases on Friday, Sept. 3. Whatcom’s pandemic total of confirmed cases increased from 11,294 on Aug. 27 to 11,863 on Friday.
The only week Whatcom saw more was when it had 653 new confirmed cases reported the first week of 2021 (Jan. 3-9).
Add in the 72 additional probable cases that were reported last week from a positive antigen test not confirmed by a molecular test, and Whatcom had 641 total cases — only 15 short of the Jan. 3-9 total, when only three new probable cases were reported.
The 72 new probable cases last week, which included four new cases reported Friday, pushed Whatcom’s pandemic total to 796.
Sunday marked 18 months since the first Whatcom County resident tested positive for COVID on March 6, 2020.
Whatcom also had its 119th COVID-related death of the pandemic reported on Friday — its fifth death linked to the disease that was reported last week.
The death that was reported Friday was for a resident that first tested positive for COVID on Aug. 5 — the eighth Whatcom resident to die after first testing positive in August. There were three epidemiological deaths in July. No other information about the person who died, such as their age, gender, vaccination status or hometown was reported.
With the death, 0.9% of Whatcom’s 12,659 total cases (confirmed and probable cases combined) have resulted in death, which is better than the state’s 1.2% rate.
Additionally, Whatcom had seven new COVID-related hospitalizations reported on Friday, bringing the county’s weekly total to 26. Throughout the pandemic, Whatcom has had 604 hospitalizations related to the disease.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 33 COVID-related patients on Tuesday, Sept. 7, down one from the 34 it treated Monday and six fewer than the record 39 it treated Aug. 30. During the first six days of September, 87.4% of the hospital’s COVID-related patients were unvaccinated, the hospital reported.
More Whatcom numbers
Other Whatcom County COVID data shows:
▪ Whatcom’s two-week infection rate increased to 507.89 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recent complete epidemiological data between Aug. 13 and 26, according to the state dashboard on Friday, up from 401.32 a week earlier for data between Aug. 6 and 19. The rate reported Friday marked only the fourth time Whatcom’s infection rate has been higher than 500, with the other three coming Jan. 15-17 and a high of 528.07 on Jan. 16.
▪ Whatcom’s COVID-related weekly hospitalization rate dropped to 8.77 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recent completed data between Aug. 19 and 25, according to the state’s dashboard, down from 9.21 a week earlier for data between Aug. 12-18.
▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 247,347 vaccine doses — an increase of 2,856 and more than the 2,768 administered the week before — and estimated that 63.9% of the total population in the county had initiated vaccination and 58.2% had completed it. Both percentages were ahead of the averages across the state, which reported that 60.9% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 56.2% are fully vaccinated.
▪ Whatcom’s weekly COVID test positivity rate for completed data Aug. 13-19 was 6.0% (454 positives out of 7,615 tests). That’s up from 4.51% (312 positives out of 6,924 tests) a week earlier and higher than Whatcom’s pandemic positivity rate of 3.44%.
▪ 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, as are 94.8% of all counties nationwide.
