Whatcom sees 3 more COVID-related deaths, as impacts of delta surge persist in county
The delta surge of the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in the deaths of three more Whatcom County residents, the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard reported Thursday, Dec. 9.
The three COVID-related deaths reported Thursday bring Whatcom County’s pandemic total to 182.
The deaths were for people who first tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 10, Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data found, bringing the county epidemiological death total for November to nine.
Since Aug. 1 when the delta surge first began to impact Whatcom, there have now been 70 epidemiological deaths, The Herald found, which is 38% of the county’s pandemic total. The delta surge also is responsible for approximately 45% of the county’s total cases and 47% of all COVID-related hospitalizations during the pandemic, The Herald’s data analysis shows.
With 8,488 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 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 people who died, such as their age, gender, vaccination status or hometown, was reported.
Before the deaths reported Thursday, 76% of Whatcom’s 67 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, Dec. 6. An additional eight deaths (12%) were in people 50-64, while six (9%) were in people between 35 and 49.
For the entire pandemic before the deaths reported Thursday, 82% of Whatcom’s first 179 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 Dec. 4. 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 54 COVID-related deaths in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Whatcom County residents between Feb. 1 and Nov. 27, including 27 since Aug. 22, according to The Herald’s analysis of the latest data released Friday, Dec. 3, by the Whatcom County Health Department. For comparison, there were 23 deaths of fully vaccinated residents between Feb. 1 and Nov. 27, including 17 since Aug. 22.
More Whatcom COVID data
The Thursday report on the state dashboard shows Whatcom County has:
▪ 17,398 confirmed cases during the pandemic — up 67 cases from the last report.
▪ 1,503 probable COVID cases during the pandemic — up 13 from the last report — resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.
▪ A weekly infection rate of 162 cases per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data Nov. 24-30— down from 188 one week earlier (Nov. 17-23).
▪ 975 COVID-related hospitalizations during the pandemic — up three from the last report. St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 27 patients with COVID-related symptoms on Friday, Dec. 10 — down two from its last report.
▪ A weekly COVID-related hospitalization rate of 9.2 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological hospitalization data from Nov. 24-30 — down from 10.1 a week earlier (Nov. 17-23).
▪ 348,103 total tests (molecular and antigen combined). The state reported that an “unexpected delay” has once again delayed the resumption of its reporting of testing data until approximately Dec. 30.
▪ 309,052 vaccinations administered during the pandemic. The state reports 68.4% of Whatcom County’s total population has initiated vaccination and 63.1% has completed it.
Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data Tracker Friday listed Whatcom’s level of transmission as “High” — the highest of four categories. Thirty-eight of the 39 counties in Washington state and 79% of counties nationwide were listed in the “High” transmission category.
No new cases were reported by any Whatcom County school districts on Thursday.
Booster eligibility expanded
The Washington State Department of Health announced Thursday that it has expanded eligibility to receive Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination booster doses to include everyone 16 and older. The move follows the guidance and recommendations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, according to a news release on the move.
“Ensuring booster doses are available to as many people as possible will add an extra layer of protection across our communities this winter, help keep families healthy as we gather this holiday season, and increase immunity as the omicron variant spreads worldwide,” Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah said in the release. “Please do not delay, make an appointment to get your booster shot as soon as you are eligible.”
Pfizer is currently the only vaccine approved for people younger than 18. It is now recommended for those over the age of 16 to get a booster six months after completing their initial two-dose vaccination cycle.
Booster shots of the Moderna vaccine, which has been approved for people 18 and older, are recommended for six months after completing a two-dose vaccination cycle.
Booster shots of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has been approved for people 18 and older, are recommended for two months after receiving a one-dose initial vaccination.
“The recent emergence of omicron is another reminder of the importance of vaccinations and boosters, especially for children and adults with chronic conditions that place them at higher risk for severe illness due to COVID-19,” Chief Science Officer Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett said in the release. “We know vaccines are safe and effective at protecting us from hospitalization and death due to COVID-19. Getting a booster is the best way to increase immunity that tends to wane over time.”
The state reported Wednesday that Whatcom County has administered 39,078 “additional doses,” which includes third doses for immunocompromised residents and booster doses.
