Data shows most recent COVID surge hit Bellingham and rest of Whatcom County differently
COVID-19 infection rates dropped in all seven Whatcom County school district regions — in fact, there were triple-digit decreases in all but one region — as the county continues to emerge from the latest surge in cases.
The region covered by the Nooksack Valley School District was the only region in the county to have a two-week infection rate (or the number of new cases per 100,000 residents) higher than 300, according to the latest location data released by the Whatcom County Health Department on Tuesday, Oct. 12. It was also the only region not to see its rate decrease by more than 100 from last week’s report.
Lynden was the only other region to have a rate higher than 200, but that region’s rate still dropped by nearly 60%.
So with all regions of the county apparently recovering from the latest surge, which were hit hardest?
Data analysis by The Bellingham Herald showed that the Bellingham region’s case rate during the surge was nearly half the rest of the county’s.
In the past 11 weeks since the July 27 report, Bellingham had 1,826 cases, according to the health department’s reports. Based on 2019 U.S. Census estimates, that works out to 1,608 cases per 100,000 residents.
The rest of the county saw 3,223 cases since the July 27 report, which works out to 2,934 cases per 100,000 residents.
Bellingham was the only individual region with a rate lower than 2,000, though Mount Baker was second-lowest at 2,158, The Herald’s analysis showed. The region with the highest rate was Lynden at 4,004, while Meridian was next at 3,000.
This week’s regional data
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, Oct. 9, and the infection and hospitalization rates reflect confirmed cases from Sept. 22 through Oct. 2.
Overall, Whatcom County saw a 3.3% growth in cases with 481 cases Oct. 3-9 — up from the 458 new cases the county reported the previous week, according to the data.
Here is what the health department’s latest data showed for the seven regions in the county:
Bellingham: Up 3.3% (173 cases) since the Oct. 5 report to 5,428 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 238 last week to 133 this week. Approximately 74% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen eight COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 in the past two weeks.
Blaine: Up 3.4% (39 cases) since the Oct. 5 report to 1,194 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 313 last week to 127 this week. Approximately 67% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 11 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Ferndale: Up 3.5% (101 cases) since the Oct. 5 report to 3,002 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 349 last week to 149 this week. Approximately 63% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 11 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Lynden: Up 3.1% (78 cases) since the Oct. 5 report to 2,619 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 715 last week to 293 this week. Approximately 52% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen five COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Meridian: Up 1.7% (15 cases) since the Oct. 5 report to 916 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 348 last week to 134 this week. Approximately 61% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen nine COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Mount Baker: Up 3.5% (31 cases) since the Oct. 5 report to 924 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 411 last week to 187 this week. Approximately 45% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen six COVID-related hospitalizations in the past two weeks.
Nooksack Valley: Up 3.9% (44 cases) since the Oct. 5 report to 1,172 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 366 last week to 322 this week. Approximately 49% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 17 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
