Whatcom’s vaccinated residents see 3 deaths, higher COVID infection rate in late October
Though weekly COVID-19 case rates in Whatcom County remain more than three times higher among Whatcom County’s unvaccinated and partially vaccinated residents, vaccinated residents saw increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths during the final week of October.
During the week of Oct. 24-30, Whatcom County saw 141 breakthrough COVID cases, according to data released by the Whatcom County Health Department on Friday, Oct. 29, along with seven COVID-related hospitalizations and three COVID-related deaths among fully vaccinated residents.
Data previously released by the Washington State Department of Health showed 138,725 Whatcom residents were fully vaccinated as of Oct. 24.
Based on that number, Whatcom’s weekly COVID infection rate the week of Oct. 24 was 102 cases per 100,000 vaccinated residents in the county, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis shows. That rate was up from an infection rate of 88 the week of Oct. 17-23, when there also were four hospitalizations and no deaths reported among Whatcom’s fully vaccinated.
But the weekly breakthrough infection rate was still less than a third the rate among Whatcom’s unvaccinated and partially vaccinated, The Herald’s analysis showed.
The health department reported there were 325 cases among Whatcom residents who were not fully vaccinated the week of Oct. 17-23. That worked out to 361 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents, The Herald’s analysis showed, which was down from the 385 case rate from one week earlier.
Additionally, the health department reported there were 28 hospitalizations and two deaths of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents in Whatcom County during the week of Oct. 24-30.
According to the health department, the five deaths reported during the week were:
▪ One unvaccinated man 60 to 69 years old.
▪ One unvaccinated woman 70 to 79 years old.
▪ One vaccinated man 60 to 69 years old.
▪ Two vaccinated men 70 to 79 years old.
Since Feb. 1, Whatcom County’s unvaccinated or partially vaccinated population has seen nearly five times as many COVID cases, nearly seven times as many COVID-related hospitalizations and more than 2½ times as many COVID-related deaths compared to fully vaccinated residents.
Whatcom’s unvaccinated and partially vaccinated residents have accounted for 83.2% of COVID cases (9,102 of 10,935 total), 87.1% of COVID-related hospitalizations (471 of 541 total) and 72.1% of COVID-related deaths (49 of 68 total), according to The Herald’s analysis of health department data since Feb. 1.
More Whatcom numbers
Other Whatcom County COVID data shows:
▪ With 59 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Friday, Nov. 5, Whatcom County now has had a pandemic total of 15,591 cases. The county’s case total increased by 395 last week, which was fewer than the 403increase seen one week earlier.
▪ Whatcom saw an additional three probable cases reported Friday, resulting from a positive antigen test not confirmed by a molecular test, bringing its pandemic total to 1,330 probable cases. Whatcom had 54 probable cases reported last week — six fewer than the week before.
▪ Whatcom’s weekly infection rate stands at 208 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recently completed data from Oct. 21-27, which is up from 193 from the week before (Oct. 14-20). Whatcom has the 14th-highest weekly infection rate of the 39 counties in the state, according to the state dashboard.
▪ With three COVID-related hospitalizations reported Friday, Whatcom has seen 853 during the pandemic. The county had 26 hospitalizations reported last week, which was down from 38 the week before.
▪ Whatcom’s weekly hospitalization rate stands at 17.5 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed data from Oct. 21-27, which is up from 10.1 the week before (Oct. 14-20). Whatcom has the 17th-highest weekly hospitalization rate of the 39 counties in the state, according to the state dashboard.
▪ St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported that it was treating 35 patients for COVID-related symptoms on Monday, Nov. 8, which was up from 34 on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 6-7.
▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 280,303 vaccine doses — an increase of 6,181 last week, which was more than the 5,489 reported the week before. The state estimated that 67.1% of the total population in the county has initiated vaccination and 62.0% had completed it. Both percentages were ahead of the averages across the state, which reported that 65.5% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 60.5% are fully vaccinated.
▪ The state has stopped updating the number of completed tests until Nov. 30 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 1.07 others as of Oct. 16, which is up from 1.01 on Oct. 9. Anything below 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 but two of Washington state’s 39 counties (Columbia and Garfield counties) are listed in the “High” category, as are 70.5% of all counties nationwide. Columbia County’s COVID transmission is listed as “moderate” and Garfield is listed as “substantial.”
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 498 total cases reported in those districts.
There have been a total of 204 cases reported in elementary schools, 108 cases reported in middle/junior high schools and 141 cases reported in high schools so far this school year. Another 45 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 114 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 9.5 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. No new cases were reported Friday.
▪ Blaine School District has reported 123 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 52.9 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. No new cases were reported Friday.
▪ Lynden School District has reported 196 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this year, or approximately 54.1 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. No new cases were reported Friday.
▪ Meridian School District has reported 32 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 17.5 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. Five new cases were reported Monday: three cases reported Nov. 3 through the district’s Parent Partnership Program, one case reported Nov. 6 at Irene Reither Elementary and one case reported Nov. 6 at Meridian Middle School. Affected individuals and close contacts of the three cases have quarantined, the school district reports.
▪ Mount Baker School District has reported 33 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 17.8 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district’s dashboard was not functioning on Monday.
▪ Ferndale School District reports that as of Monday, eight students or staff have had a positive test reported to the Whatcom County Health Department in the past seven days, down four from the previous report. Of those, two were on a school campus during their infectious period.
COVID case information could not be found on the Nooksack Valley School District website, though Superintendent Matt Galley reported the district plans to begin posting weekly case data soon.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 12:07 PM.
