COVID-19 cases more than double during delta’s surge in one Whatcom County region
COVID-19’s delta surge has not been kind to Whatcom County, as the its pandemic total for cases has grown 45% since delta first started to get grips on the region in early August.
But one school district region within the county has been hit particularly hard, as its pandemic total of COVID-19 cases has more than doubled in the past 19 weeks, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the Whatcom County Health Department’s latest location data released on Tuesday, Dec. 14 found.
The region covered by the Blaine School District has seen its pandemic total of cases grow from 729 as of July 31 to 1,504 through Dec. 11, according to Tuesday’s report. The 775 new cases since Aug. 1 represent a 106% growth.
Whatcom’s six other regions also have seen at least a 67% increase in cases during the delta surge — Bellingham 82%, Ferndale 77%, Lynden 84%, Meridian 95%, Mount Baker 91% and Nooksack Valley 67%
Though Blaine saw the largest percentage of increase since Aug. 1, Lynden had the highest average weekly infection rate during those 19 weeks, averaging 387 new cases per 100,000 residents per week, The Herald’s analysis found.
Whatcom County, as a whole, averaged 198 new cases per 100,000 residents per week since Aug. 1, with the other six regions checking in with weekly infection rates of: 140 in Bellingham, 230 in Blaine, 254 in Ferndale, 241 in Meridian, 194 in Mount Baker and 288 in Nooksack Valley.
For last week, the health department’s data showed four of the seven regions had their two-week infection rates increase over the previous week’s rates.
The county health department releases weekly data on the location of COVID-19 cases using school districts as geographical boundaries, including each region’s number of total cases during the pandemic, infection rate, hospitalization rate, percentage of residents who have initiated vaccination and a breakdown of case rates by age. Data in this week’s report was through Saturday, Dec. 11.
Overall, Whatcom County saw a 2.6% growth in cases with 487 new cases between Dec. 5 and 11 — up from the 395 new cases the county reported the previous week.
With 882 cases in the past two weeks, Whatcom County has an overall two-week infection rate of 392 cases per 100,000 residents, based on 225,300 residents in the county. Two of the county’s regions had infection rates lower than that mark and a third matched that mark, according to the county’s data this week.
As of Monday, Dec. 13, the Washington State Department of Health reported that 69% of all Whatcom County residents had initiated vaccination and 63% had completed it.
Here is what the health department’s latest data showed for the seven regions in the county:
Bellingham: Up 2.2% (143 cases) since the Dec. 7 report to 6,699 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 209 last week to 204 this week. Approximately 79% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen five COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 in the past two weeks.
Blaine: Up 2.9% (42 cases) since the Dec. 7 report to 1,504 total cases, but the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 355 last week to 371 this week. Approximately 72% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 21 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Ferndale: Up 3.6% (130 cases) since the Dec. 7 report to 3,732 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 373 last week to 553 this week. Approximately 68% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 34 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Lynden: Up 2.1% (69 cases) since the Dec. 7 report to 3,327 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 581 last week to 502 this week. Approximately 56% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 23 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Meridian: Up 3.3% (35 cases) since the Dec. 7 report to 1,110 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 330 last week to 446 this week. Approximately 65% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 36 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Mount Baker: Up 2.8% (32 cases) since the Dec. 7 report to 1,163 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 324 last week to 392 this week. Approximately 48% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 19 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Nooksack Valley: Up 2.5% (36 cases) since the Dec. 7 report to 1,475 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days decreased from 471 last week to 445 this week. Approximately 52% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 26 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
CORRECTION: The percentage growth of case totals since Aug. 1 within each Whatcom County school district region was corrected.
