What impact is vaccination having on Whatcom’s COVID case and hospitalization rates?
Partially or unvaccinated Whatcom County residents were approximately five times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 and 11 times more likely to be hospitalized with complications from the illness if they did test positive than residents who were fully vaccinated, according to the county’s most recent data.
The county had 531 total COVID-19 cases diagnosed the week of Sept. 5 through 11, according to data released by the Whatcom County Health Department. Of those, 111 were in residents who were deemed fully vaccinated, while 420 were in people who were partially or not vaccinated.
That data translates to infection rates of 86 cases per 100,000 vaccinated residents and 483 cases per 100,000 partially or not vaccinated residents, the county reported.
“This reinforces that COVID-19 vaccinations are effective for preventing positive tests among Whatcom residents,” the report stated. “Since vaccination against COVID-19 is not able to reduce the risk of infection to 0, it is still important to practice other preventive measures that include wearing a mask in public indoor settings and crowded outdoor settings, regardless of vaccination status.”
As of Sept. 4, the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard reported that 132,760 Whatcom County residents were fully vaccinated, meaning there were 95,940 partially or not vaccinated people in the county, based on the state Office of Financial Management’s 2021 population estimate of 228,700 Whatcom residents.
The county data showed there were 37 COVID-related hospitalizations the week of Sept. 5, four of which were among fully vaccinated residents.
Based on The Bellingham Herald’s data analysis the county’s data, 3.6% of all cases among fully vaccinated residents the week of Sept. 5 resulted in hospitalization and the hospitalization rate was approximately 3.0 per 100,000 fully vaccinated residents. Partially or not vaccinated residents, meanwhile saw 7.9% of all cases result in hospitalization and a rate of approximately 34.4 per 100,000 residents.
Of the five deaths reported the week of Sept. 5, three were in fully vaccinated residents, according to the county data. The three vaccinated people to die were all over the age of 90, according to the county, while the two unvaccinated people were between 70 and 89.
The Herald’s analysis of current and past data reports by the health department shows that between Feb. 1, when people began to be fully vaccinated, and Sept. 11:
▪ There were 7,811 total COVID cases diagnosed in Whatcom County. Of those, 948 (12.1%) were in residents deemed fully vaccinated, while 6,863 (87.9%) were in partially or not vaccinated residents.
▪ There were 377 total COVID-related hospitalizations in Whatcom County. Of those, 35 (9.3%) were for residents deemed fully vaccinated, while 342 (90.7%) were for partially or not vaccinated residents. Approximately 3.7% of the 948 COVID cases among fully vaccinated residents resulted in hospitalization, while approximately 5.0% of the 6,863 cases among partially or not vaccinated residents resulted in hospitalization.
▪ There have been 44 total COVID-related deaths in Whatcom County. Of those, 11 (25%) were fully vaccinated residents, while 33 (75%) were partially or not vaccinated residents. Approximately 1.2% of the 948 COVID cases among fully vaccinated residents resulted in death, while approximately 0.5% of of the 6,863 cases among partially or not vaccinated residents resulted in death.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 12:02 PM.
