COVID-related hospitalizations remain high in Whatcom, with 6 more reported Tuesday
Whatcom County continued to see a high number of COVID-related hospitalizations, as its pandemic total increased by six on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham also reported it was treating 35 patients for COVID-related symptoms on Wednesday, Nov. 17, matching the total it reported Tuesday.
Whatcom County has had 894 COVID-related hospitalizations during the pandemic, according to the latest report on the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
With 17,608 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) so far during the pandemic, that means that approximately 5.0% of all cases have resulted in hospitalizations, according to analysis by The Bellingham Herald.
That rate has been higher in recent months, as the county has seen 282 hospitalizations in 4,971 total cases since Sept. 1, or about 5.7% of cases resulting in hospitalization.
Analysis of the state’s latest age-range information for Whatcom County showed that since Aug. 29, more than half (52%) of Whatcom’s hospitalizations have been among residents 65 and older, and another 23% were in residents between 50 and 64. Almost one in six cases among Whatcom residents 50 and older since Aug. 29 has resulted in hospitalization, including nearly one in three cases among residents 80 and older.
According to analysis of breakthrough data released by the Whatcom County Health Department on Friday, Nov. 12, 82% of Whatcom County’s hospitalizations since Aug. 15 have been in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents and hospitalization has occurred in 5.5% of the 4,286 cases in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents. For comparison, hospitalization has occurred in 3.2% of the 1,606 breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated residents during that same time period.
Whatcom daily COVID data
The latest report on the state dashboard also shows Whatcom County has:
▪ 16,222 confirmed cases during the pandemic — up 31 cases from the last report.
▪ 1,386 probable COVID cases during the pandemic — up one from the last report — resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.
▪ A weekly infection rate of 195 cases per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data Nov. 1-7 — down from 205 one week earlier (Oct. 25-31).
▪ A weekly COVID-related hospitalization rate of 11.0 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological hospitalization data from Nov. 1-7 — down from 15.8 from a week earlier (Oct. 25-31).
▪ 171 COVID-related deaths during the pandemic — unchanged from the last report.
▪ The state was expected to begin reporting testing data again Oct. 31, after it paused that data on Sept. 15, but it now says that “an unexpected delay” will keep it from reporting that data again until Nov. 30.
▪ 290,231 vaccinations administered during the pandemi. The state reports 67.6% of Whatcom County’s total population has initiated vaccination and 62.4% has completed it.
Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data Tracker Wednesday listed Whatcom’s level of transmission as “High” — the highest of four categories. Thirty-five of the 39 counties in Washington state were listed in the “High” transmission category along with 71.4% of all counties nationwide.
Whatcom testing site moves
Whatcom County’s drive-through testing site at Bellingham International Airport was moved on Wednesday to accommodate the airport’s needs with the addition of Southwest Airlines, according to a release from the health department.
The site, which is operated jointly by the health department and Northwest Laboratory, is now located in Economy Lot B.
To avoid causing congestion on Airport Way, the health department asked those arriving to be tested to head north on Bennett Drive and turn left on West Bakerview Road past the Best Western Plus hotel. Signs will be posted along the route, according to the release.
Whatcom schools COVID update
The COVID-19 dashboards on Whatcom County school district websites showed:
▪ Bellingham Public Schools has reported 135 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, including new cases listed Tuesday that were reported Nov. 8-12: one case at Kulshan Middle School and one case at Silver Beach Elementary. Close contacts in both cases have been notified, according to the release.
▪ Blaine School District has reported 133 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year. It listed no new cases Tuesday.
▪ Lynden School District has reported 217 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year. It listed no new cases Tuesday.
▪ Meridian School District has reported 50 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year. It listed no new cases Tuesday.
▪ Mount Baker School District has reported 35 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year. It listed no new cases Tuesday.
▪ Ferndale School District did not update its dashboard Monday or Tuesday. It reported Friday that 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 last report. Four of 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, but Superintendent Mike Galley wrote that the district plans to soon begin releasing a weekly case count on the website in an Oct. 29 letter.
