COVID infection rate in Whatcom’s fully vaccinated drops, while unvaccinated see increase
Whatcom County’s weekly COVID-19 infection rate among its fully-vaccinated residents dropped to its lowest mark since the Whatcom County Health Department began reporting weekly data in mid-August, while its rate among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents climbed slightly.
During the week of Oct. 10-16, Whatcom County saw 101 breakthrough COVID cases, according to data released by the health department on Friday, Oct. 22.
Based on data previously released by the Washington State Department of Health, 136,814 Whatcom residents were fully vaccinated as of Oct. 10, meaning the weekly infection rate was approximately 74 breakthrough cases per 100,000 vaccinated residents, according to The Bellingham Herald’s data analysis.
That is the lowest rate seen since weekly breakthrough data began being reported by the county health department for the week of Aug. 15-21, beating the previous best of 85 cases per 100,000 residents for the week of Sept. 5-11.
Meanwhile, there were 288 cases among Whatcom’s unvaccinated or partially vaccinated population the week of Oct. 10-16, the health department reported. That group had a weekly infection rate of 313 cases per 100,000 residents, The Herald’s data analysis showed, which was up slightly from the rate of 304 a week earlier.
The health department also reported that 15 of the 19 COVID-related hospitalizations between Oct. 10 and Oct. 16 and two of the three COVID-related deaths reported that week were among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents.
The three deaths reported during the week were for an unvaccinated man 30-39 years old, an unvaccinated woman 70-79 years old and a vaccinated woman 80-89 years old.
Since Feb. 1, Whatcom County’s unvaccinated or partially vaccinated population has seen more than five times as many COVID cases, more than seven times as many COVID-related hospitalizations and more than three times as many COVID-related deaths compared to fully vaccinated residents. Vaccine breakthroughs have accounted for 15.7% of COVID cases (1,571 of 9,988 total), 12.3% of COVID-related hospitalizations (59 of 480 total) and 26.2% of COVID-related deaths (16 of 61 total), according to The Herald’s analysis of health department data since Feb. 1.
Whatcom sees another COVID death
Whatcom County saw its 154th COVID-related death of the pandemic reported on Friday, Oct. 22, by the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID Data Dashboard.
The death was for a person who first tested positive for COVID on Sept. 1, according to The Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data, upping the county’s total for deaths epidemiologically linked to September to 20.
There has been one death of a person who first tested positive for COVID in October, so far, according to the state’s data.
With 4,450 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in August and September, according to analysis of the state’s epidemiological data, 0.9% of all Whatcom County cases during that time frame resulted in death. That is better than the county’s pandemic death rate of 1.0% cases resulting in death and the statewide average of 1.2%, according to the state dashboard.
No other information about the person whose death was reported Friday, such as their age, gender, vaccination status or hometown, was released.
It was the second death reported last week in the county.
Before the two deaths reported last week, 75% of Whatcom County’s 40 epidemiological deaths in August, September and October were in people 65 and older, according to The Herald’s analysis of the latest age-range data released by the state on Monday, Oct. 18.
For the entire pandemic before last week, 83% of Whatcom’s first 152 deaths were in people 65 and older, according to analysis of the state data, which also showed that residents 65 and older accounted for 11% of all Whatcom cases through last week.
In August, September and October (before the two deaths reported last week) there were five deaths in Whatcom County of people in the 50-65 age group, three in the 35-49 age group and one in the 20-34 age group, the data shows. The county has not had any deaths of anybody younger than 20 throughout the pandemic.
Bellingham hospital sees increase
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it had a jump in COVID-related hospitalizations over the weekend and was treating 35 patients for COVID-related symptoms as of Monday, Oct. 25 — only five fewer than the pandemic record of 40 on Sept. 11.
That was up from 28 the hospital reported on Friday, 30 on Saturday and 29 on Sunday.
The state dashboard reported five new hospitalizations on Friday in Whatcom, bringing the county’s pandemic total to 789. During the week, Whatcom’s total climbed by 24.
Whatcom’s COVID-related weekly hospitalization rate stood at 9.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recently completed data from Oct. 7-13, according to the state’s dashboard, up from 8.3 a week earlier for data Sept. 30-Oct. 6. Whatcom has the 21st-highest hospitalization rate in the state, according to the state dashboard.
More Whatcom numbers
Other Whatcom County COVID data shows:
▪ With 87 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Friday, Whatcom County now has had a pandemic total of 14,793 cases. The county’s case total increased by 397 last week, which was higher than the 358 increase seen one week earlier.
▪ Whatcom saw an addition 11 probable cases reported Friday, resulting from a positive antigen test not confirmed by a molecular test, bringing its pandemic total to 1,216 probable cases. Whatcom had 42 probable cases reported last week.
▪ Whatcom’s two-week infection rate stands at 358 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recently completed data from Sept. 29-Oct. 13, which is down from 409 from the week before (Sept. 22-Oct. 6). Whatcom has the 11th-lowest infection rate in the state, according to the state dashboard.
▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 268,633 vaccine doses — an increase of 3,831 last week, which was more than the 3,339 reported the week before. The state estimated that 66.4% of the total population in the county has initiated vaccination and 61.3% had completed it. Both percentages were ahead of the averages across the state, which reported that 64.6% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 59.6% are fully vaccinated.
▪ The state has stopped updating the number of completed tests until Oct. 31 as it works “to increase its capacity to process the increased testing data volume received in the last few months.”
▪ The statewide Effective Reproductive Number (R-effective) shows that each person who tests positive for COVID-19 is estimated to infect 0.83 others as of Oct. 2, which is down from 0.86 on Sept. 25. Anything beneath 1.0 means that transmission of the disease should be shrinking.
▪ The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker on Monday continued to list the level of transmission in Whatcom County as “High” (the highest of four classifications). All 39 counties in Washington state are listed in the “High” category, as are 79.6% of all counties nationwide.
Whatcom schools COVID update
The Herald’s analysis of data published by the Bellingham, Blaine, Lynden, Meridian and Mount Baker districts, which list which schools cases are reported in, shows there have been 352 total cases reported in those districts, an increase of 42 from the week before.
There have been a total of 140 cases reported in elementary schools, 75 cases reported in middle/junior high schools and 109 cases reported in high schools so far this school year. Another 28 cases have been reported in other district programs or facilities.
The COVID-19 dashboards on Whatcom County school district websites showed:
▪ Bellingham Public Schools has reported 83 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, including two cases reported Friday at Sehome High School with possible contact between Oct. 12-18. Close contacts to the cases have been notified, according to the dashboard.
▪ Blaine School District has reported 82 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, including six new cases reported Friday: two cases at the primary school between Oct. 11-17, one case at the elementary school between Oct. 11-17, one case at the middle school between Oct. 11-17 and two cases at the high school between Oct. 11-17. None of the new cases required additional quarantine, the school district reported.
▪ Lynden School District has reported 140 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this year. It listed no new cases Friday.
▪ Meridian School District has reported 21 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, including one new case reported at Irene Reither Elementary Oct. 21 and two cases reported at Irene Reither Elementary Oct. 22. Affected individuals and close contacts of the three cases have quarantined, the school district reports.
▪ Mount Baker School District has reported 26 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year. It listed no new cases Friday.
▪ Ferndale School District reports that as of Friday, eight students or staff have had a positive test reported to the Whatcom County Health Department in the past seven days, down one from the previous report. Of those, five were on a school campus during their infectious period.
COVID case information could not be found on the Nooksack Valley School District website.
