Whatcom sees vaccinated resident die, but COVID case rates still higher among unvaccinated
Though weekly COVID-19 case rates were nearly four times higher among Whatcom County’s unvaccinated and partially vaccinated residents, last week’s only COVID-related death was in a fully vaccinated resident.
During the week of Oct. 31 through Nov. 6, Whatcom County saw 124 breakthrough COVID cases, according to data released by the Whatcom County Health Department on Friday, Nov. 12, along with five COVID-related hospitalizations and the one COVID-related death among fully vaccinated residents.
Data previously released by the Washington State Department of Health showed 139,448 Whatcom residents were fully vaccinated as of Oct. 31.
Based on that number, Whatcom’s weekly COVID infection rate the week of Oct. 31 was 89 cases per 100,000 vaccinated residents in the county, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis shows. That rate was down from an infection rate of 102 the week of Oct. 24-30, when there also were seven hospitalizations and three deaths reported among Whatcom’s fully vaccinated.
The weekly breakthrough infection rate was just over a quarter the rate among Whatcom’s unvaccinated and partially vaccinated, The Herald’s analysis showed.
The health department reported there were 316 cases among Whatcom residents who were not fully vaccinated the week of Oct. 31 through Nov. 6. That worked out to 354 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents, The Herald’s analysis showed.
Additionally, the health department reported there were 22 hospitalizations and no deaths of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents in Whatcom County during the week of Oct. 31 through Nov. 6.
According to the health department, the death reported during the week was of a fully vaccinated man between ages 70 and 79.
Since Feb. 1, Whatcom County’s unvaccinated or partially vaccinated population has seen nearly five times as many COVID cases, more than 6½ times as many COVID-related hospitalizations and nearly 2½ times as many COVID-related deaths compared to fully vaccinated residents.
Whatcom’s unvaccinated and partially vaccinated residents have accounted for 83% of COVID cases (9,418 of 11,375 total), 87% of COVID-related hospitalizations (493 of 568 total) and 71% of COVID-related deaths (49 of 69 total), according to The Herald’s analysis of health department data since Feb. 1.
More Whatcom numbers
Other Whatcom County COVID data shows that:
▪ Whatcom County has had a pandemic total of 16,003 cases as of Friday, Nov. 12. The county’s case total increased by 412 last week, which was more than the 395 increase seen one week earlier.
▪ Whatcom has a pandemic total of 1,381 probable cases reported Friday, resulting from a positive antigen test not confirmed by a molecular test. Whatcom had 51 probable cases reported last week — three fewer than the week before.
▪ Whatcom’s weekly infection rate stands at 191 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recently completed data from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3, which is down from 207 from the week before (Oct. 20-26). Whatcom has the 12th-highest weekly infection rate of the 39 counties in the state, according to the state dashboard.
▪ Whatcom has seen 881 hospitalizations during the pandemic as of Friday. The county had 28 hospitalizations reported last week, which was up from two from the week before.
▪ Whatcom’s weekly hospitalization rate stands at 11.8 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed data from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3, which is down from 17.5 the week before (Oct. 20-26). Whatcom has the 11th-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 33 patients for COVID-related symptoms on Monday, Nov. 15, which was up from 29 on Saturday, Nov. 13, and 32 on Sunday, Nov. 14.
▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 285,476 vaccine doses — an increase of 5,173 last week, which was less than the 6,181 reported the week before. The state estimated that 67.4% of the total population in the county has initiated vaccination and 62.2% had completed it. Both percentages were ahead of the averages across the state, which reported that 65.8% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 60.8% 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 1.04 others as of Oct. 23, which is down from 1.07 on Oct. 16. 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 four of Washington state’s 39 counties are listed in the “High” category, as are 71.3% 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 558 total cases reported in those districts, an increase of 60 from the week before.
There have been a total of 227 cases reported in elementary schools, 120 cases reported in middle/junior high schools and 156 cases reported in high schools so far this school year. Another 55 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 123 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 10.2 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. No new cases were reported Friday.
▪ Blaine School District has reported 133 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 57.3 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. No new cases were reported Friday.
▪ Lynden School District has reported 217 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this year, or approximately 59.9 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. No new cases were reported Friday.
▪ Meridian School District has reported 50 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 27.4 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. Eighteen new cases were reported Friday, including: five cases reported Nov. 9 at Irene Reither Elementary, two cases reported Nov. 9 at Meridian Middle School, two cases reported Nov. 9 at Meridian High, one case reported Nov. 9 in Meridian’s Parent Partnership Program, three cases reported Nov. 10 at Irene Reither Elementary, two cases reported Nov. 10 at Meridian Middle School, one case reported Nov. 10 at Meridian High, one case reported Nov. 11 at Irene Reither Elementary, and one case reported Nov. 12 at Irene Reither Elementary. Affected individuals and close contacts of the three cases have quarantined, the school district reports.
▪ Mount Baker School District has reported 35 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 18.8 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 Friday, seven students or staff have had a positive test reported to the Whatcom County Health Department in the past seven days, down from 14 in the previous report. Of those, four 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.
