Whatcom just had its largest increase of new COVID-19 cases and another death reported
Whatcom County had its largest reported increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases of the pandemic and another COVID-related death reported by the state on Monday.
Whatcom’s pandemic total of confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped to 18,396 over the four-day holiday weekend, according to the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard on Monday, Dec. 27, an increase of 371 cases from the state’s last report.
For comparison, Whatcom had 215 new confirmed cases reported Monday, Nov. 29, for five days worth of data following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The 371 reported cases represent the largest reported increase the county has seen in the 21½ months of the pandemic, beating out the previous high of 309 cases reported Sept. 7, 2021, following the four-day Labor Day weekend.
Examining the state’s epidemiological curves, the majority of the new cases reported Monday came in the days leading up to Christmas, when Whatcom had 127 cases Tuesday, Dec. 21, and 143 cases Wednesday, Dec. 22.
Though data from those dates remains incomplete and is likely to change, they potentially represent the two largest epidemiological increases Whatcom has seen during the pandemic and the first triple-digit increases the county has had since it had 105 people first test positive for COVID on Aug. 26.
The Bellingham Herald has reached out to the Whatcom County Health Department to ask what they believe is the cause for the recent increase in cases and if it is a sign that the county is headed into another post-holiday surge, such as the one seen in 2020.
Another COVID death reported
The death reported Monday was the ninth related to COVID-19 in the past eight days and was for a person who first tested positive on Nov. 26, The Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data found. That brings the county’s epidemiological death total for November to 14, while there have been four epidemiologically linked to December.
Since Aug. 1 there have been 82 epidemiological deaths, The Herald found, which is 42% of the county’s pandemic total.
With 9,581 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in the county since Aug. 1, Whatcom has seen 0.9% 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 for the pandemic.
Analysis of the state’s age range data released Monday shows the person whose death was reported Monday was between the ages of 35 and 49.
Among the seven deaths reported in the county since last week’s release of age range data, there were three deaths among people between ages 35 and 49 and two among residents 80 and older. The other two were a resident between 50 and 64 and one between 65 and 79.
No other information about the person whose death was reported Monday, such as their gender, vaccination status or hometown, was reported.
Though Monday’s data, no COVID-related deaths have been seen in any Whatcom residents younger than 30 during the pandemic.
Through data reported by the Whatcom County Health Department on Dec. 17, there were 59 COVID-related deaths in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Whatcom County residents between Feb. 1 and Dec. 11, including 32 since Aug. 22, according to The Herald’s analysis of the latest data released Friday, Dec. 17, by the Whatcom County Health Department. For comparison, there were 25 deaths of fully vaccinated residents between Feb. 1 and Dec. 11, including 20 since Aug. 22.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person is still considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Booster and third doses are not yet factored in.
Other Whatcom COVID data
The latest report on the state dashboard also shows Whatcom County has:
▪ 1,598 probable COVID cases during the pandemic — up nine from the last report — resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.
▪ A weekly infection rate of 159 cases per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data Dec. 12-18 — up from 139 one week earlier (Dec. 5-11).
▪ 1,013 COVID-related hospitalizations during the pandemic — up five from the last report. St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 30 patients with COVID-related symptoms on Tuesday, Dec. 28 — up three from its last report and its first report in the 30s since it had 32 patients on Dec. 6.
▪ A weekly COVID-related hospitalization rate of 7.0 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological hospitalization data from Dec. 12-18 — down from 7.9 a week earlier (Dec. 5-11).
▪ 348,103 total tests (molecular and antigen combined). The state reported that an “unexpected delay” has once again pushed back the resumption of its reporting of testing data until approximately Feb. 28.
▪ 329,800 vaccinations administered during the pandemic — up 4,527 from the last report. The state reports 69.3% of Whatcom County’s total population has initiated vaccination and 63.7% has completed it. The state also reports Whatcom has administered 56,721 “additional doses,” which includes third doses for immunocompromised residents and booster doses.
Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data Tracker Tuesday listed Whatcom’s level of transmission as “High” — the highest of four categories. Twenty-eight of the 39 counties in Washington state and 86% of counties nationwide also were listed in the “High” transmission category.
