Bellingham hospital reports a decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients it’s treating
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating two fewer patients for symptoms related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, Oct. 19.
The hospital reported it was treating 26 COVID patients, which was down from 28 on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 17-18 and 29 on Saturday, Oct. 16.
Whatcom County’s updated COVID case, hospitalization, death and vaccination data was not updated on the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard Monday due to “technical issues,” according to the state.
As of Friday, Oct. 15, the state dashboard reported Whatcom’s pandemic totals were at:
▪ 14,396 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
▪ 1,174 probable COVID-19 cases, resulting from a positive antigen test not confirmed by a molecular test.
▪ 765 COVID-related hospitalizations.
▪ 152 COVID-related deaths.
▪ 264,802 vaccination doses administered, resulting in 66.1% of all residents initiating vaccination and 61.0% completing it.
Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data Tracker Tuesday listed Whatcom’s level of transmission as “High” — the highest of four categories. Thirty-eight of 39 counties in Washington state (all but Jefferson County) were listed in the “High” transmission category, and 84.8% of all counties nationwide were “High.”
Whatcom schools COVID update
The COVID-19 dashboards on Whatcom County school district websites showed:
▪ Bellingham Public Schools has reported 73 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, including four new cases reported Monday: one case reported Oct. 11-15 at Sunnyland Elementary, one case reported Oct. 11-15 at Alderwood Elementary, one case reported Oct. 11-15 at Columbia Elementary and one new case reported Oct. 11-15 at Whatcom Middle School. Whatcom Middle school previously had one case reported during the same period. Close contacts of all cases have been notified, according to the dashboard.
▪ Blaine School District has reported 76 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year. It listed no new cases Monday.
▪ Lynden School District has reported 124 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this year. It listed no new cases Monday.
▪ Meridian School District has reported 15 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year. It listed no new cases Monday.
▪ Mount Baker School District has reported 26 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year. No new cases were reported Monday.
▪ Ferndale School District reports that as of Monday, 10 students or staff have had a positive test reported to the Whatcom County Health Department in the past seven days — down eight from the last report. Seven those people were on a school campus during their infectious period.
COVID case information could not be found on the Nooksack Valley School District website.
