Whatcom sees another COVID-related death, as latest vaccine breakthrough data released
Whatcom County had another COVID-related death reported by the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard on Friday, Nov. 19 — its fifth death linked to coronavirus reported last week.
The death reported Friday was the 173rd related to COVID-19 during the pandemic, according to the state.
It was for a person who first tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 7, according to The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data, making it the 17th death epidemiologically linked to the month of October. There has been one epidemiological death so far in November and 61 since Aug. 1.
With 7,348 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in the county since Aug. 1, Whatcom has seen 0.8% of cases during that time frame result in death, The Herald’s analysis showed. That is still better than the county’s pandemic death average of 1.0%, according to the state’s data, and the statewide 1.2% rate.
No other information about the person who died, such as their age, gender, vaccination status or hometown, was reported.
Before the death that was reported Friday and one other reported Wednesday, 75% of Whatcom’s first 59 deaths since Aug. 1 were in people 65 and older, according to The Herald’s analysis of the latest age-range data released by the state on Monday, Nov. 15. An additional seven deaths (12%) were in people 50-64, while six (10%) were in people between 35 and 49.
For the entire pandemic before the deaths reported Wednesday and Friday, 82% of Whatcom’s first 171 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. No COVID-related deaths have been reported in any Whatcom residents younger than 30 during the pandemic, according to data released by the Whatcom County Health Department.
There were 52 COVID-related deaths in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Whatcom County residents between Feb. 1 and Nov. 13, including 25 since Aug. 22, according to The Herald’s analysis of the latest data released Friday, Nov. 19, by the Whatcom County Health Department. For comparison, there were 21 deaths of fully vaccinated residents between Feb. 1 and Nov. 13, including 16 since Aug. 22.
Whatcom COVID breakthrough data
Three of the four deaths reported between Nov. 7 and 13 were in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents, according to data released by the Whatcom County Health Department on Friday, Nov. 19.
During the week of Nov. 7, Whatcom County saw 148 breakthrough COVID cases, along with five COVID-related hospitalizations and one COVID-related death among fully vaccinated residents.
Data previously released by the Washington State Department of Health showed 140,185 Whatcom residents were fully vaccinated as of Oct. 31.
Based on that number, Whatcom’s weekly COVID infection rate the week of Nov. 7 was 106 cases per 100,000 vaccinated residents in the county, The Herald’s analysis shows. That rate was up from an infection rate of 89 the week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, when there also were five hospitalizations and one deaths reported among Whatcom’s fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the health department reported there were 291 cases among Whatcom residents who were not fully vaccinated the week of Nov. 7. That worked out to 329 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents, The Herald’s analysis found, which was down from the 354 case rate from one week earlier.
Additionally, the health department reported there were 20 hospitalizations and three deaths of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents in Whatcom County during the week of Nov. 7.
According to the health department, the four deaths reported during the week of Nov. 7 were in a vaccinated woman between 90 and 99 years old, two unvaccinated men between 60 and 69 years old and one unvaccinated man between 70 and 79 years old.
Since Feb. 1, Whatcom County’s unvaccinated or partially vaccinated population has seen more than four times as many COVID cases, more than six 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 82% of COVID cases (9,709 of 11,814 total), 87% of COVID-related hospitalizations (513 of 593 total) and 71% of COVID-related deaths (52 of 73 total), according to The Herald’s analysis of health department data since Feb. 1.
More Whatcom numbers
Other Whatcom County COVID data shows that:
▪ With 47 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Friday, Whatcom County has had a pandemic total of 16,340 cases. The county’s case total increased by 337 last week, which was fewer than the 412 increase seen one week earlier and the county’s smallest weekly increase since it had 300 cases reported between Aug. 8 and 14.
▪ Whatcom saw an additional nine probable cases reported Friday, resulting from a positive antigen test not confirmed by a molecular test, bringing its pandemic total to 1,419 probable cases. Whatcom had 38 probable cases reported last week — 13 fewer than the week before.
▪ Whatcom’s weekly infection rate stands at 213 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recently completed data from Nov. 4-10, which is up from 191 from the week before (Oct. 28 to Nov. 3). Whatcom has the 16th-highest weekly infection rate of the 39 counties in the state, according to the state dashboard.
▪ With four COVID-related hospitalizations reported Friday, Whatcom has seen 907 hospitalizations reported during the pandemic. The county had 26 hospitalizations reported last week, which was down 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 Nov. 4-10, which is down from 12.3 the week before (Oct. 27 to Nov. 3). Whatcom has the 13th-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 34 patients for COVID-related symptoms on Monday, Nov. 22, which was down from 36 on Friday.
▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 293,075 vaccine doses — an increase of 7,599 last week, which was more than the 5,173 reported the week before. The state estimated that 67.8% of the total population in the county has initiated vaccination and 62.5% had completed it. Both percentages were ahead of the averages across the state, which reported that 66.3% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 61.2% are fully vaccinated.
▪ The state is still working “to increase its capacity to process the increased testing data volume received in the last few months” by Nov. 30.
▪ The statewide Effective Reproductive Number (R-effective) shows that each person who tests positive for COVID-19 is estimated to infect 1.00 others as of Oct. 30, which is down from 1.04 on Oct. 23. 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 three of Washington state’s 39 counties are listed in the “High” category.
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 608 total cases reported in those districts, an increase of 50 from the week before.
There have been a total of 243 cases reported in elementary schools, 127 cases reported in middle/junior high schools and 175 cases reported in high schools so far this school year. Another 63 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 134 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 11.1 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. Three new cases were listed Friday, each with a possible exposure window of Nov. 15-18: one in Happy Valley Elementary, one in Birchwood Elementary and one in Squalicum High.
▪ Blaine School District has reported 153 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 65.9 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. No new cases were reported Friday.
▪ Lynden School District has reported 229 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this year, or approximately 63.2 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. Twelve new cases were listed between Nov. 8 and 12: one in Bernice Vossbeck Elementary, two in Fisher Elementary, two in Lynden Academy, two in Lynden Middle School, four in Lynden High and one in the preschool.
▪ Meridian School District has reported 57 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 31.2 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. Four new cases were listed Friday: one case in Irene Reither Elementary reported Nov. 16, one case in Meridian High reported Nov. 17, one case in Meridian Middle School reported Nov. 20 and one case in Irene Reither Elementary reported Nov. 20.
▪ 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. No new cases were reported Friday.
▪ Nooksack Valley School District began reporting COVID-19 cases in school last week, listing 21 cases in its schools the week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 6: four cases in Nooksack Valley High, three cases in Nooksack Valley Elementary , nine cases in Sumas Elementary, three in Nooksack Elementary and one in Everson Elementary.
▪ 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, up five from the previous report. Of those, one person was on a school campus during their infectious period.
