Whatcom health officials ask for help as omicron driving record COVID surge in county
“The Omicron surge is driving record numbers of cases, with no signs of leveling off,” according to a news release Friday, Jan. 7, from the Whatcom County Health Department. It added that case rates among all age groups and sub-county areas are rising.
Whatcom County set a new weekly record for COVID-19 cases during the final week of 2021 with 1,384, more than doubling its previous pandemic high of 652 from late August.
Preliminary data through Wednesday, Jan. 5, shows Whatcom is already on pace to push that record even higher, according to the news release, as the county continues to experience its highest infection rate of the pandemic.
Because of that, the health department urged all residents to get vaccinated, get boosted if they are eligible and wear high-quality masks around others in an effort to stop the disease’s spread and reduce the strain on the county’s hospital and health care system.
“It is on all of us to take the steps that will protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19,” Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach said in the release. “We’ve seen the devastating impacts of this rapidly spreading variant in businesses that have had to close temporarily, school districts returning to remote learning, and significant outbreaks among our vulnerable living in congregate facilities.
“We know what to do to stop the spread and we must once again double down on our efforts to curb this wave as soon as possible.”
Doing so is even more important, the health department release stated, as St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham has three times set new record highs for COVID-related patients this week, as the county’s hospital rates continue to climb, though slower than case rates.
In the four weeks since the beginning of the omicron surge (Dec. 5 through Jan. 1) 85.9% of COVID-related patients admitted to the hospital have been unvaccinated, according to the release.
“Even with increased transmissibility, the vaccines still protect against severe disease and are a crucial tool in keeping people from needing to go to the hospital,” Whatcom County Co-Health Officer Dr. Greg Thompson said in the release. “If you’ve been waiting, now is the time to get vaccinated and get boosted. Booster shots give you the greatest amount of protection against Omicron infection, but even those first two doses can reduce severe COVID-19 and hospitalization by over 80%.”
During the surge, the health department said it will focus its resources on aiding the most vulnerable members of the community by coordinating testing and vaccination clinics in long-term care facilities and other congregate settings, but the release added that healthcare professions “are all stretched to their limits to cope with the surge.”
Because of that, the health department asked Whatcom County residents to:
▪ Get vaccinated if they haven’t already.
▪ Get boosted if they are eligible.
▪ Stay home if they have COVID-19 symptoms and are unable to get tested, regardless of their vaccination status and follow isolation and quarantine guidance.
▪ Wear high-quality, well-fitting masks, such as KN95, KF-94 or three-ply surgical masks or double up if they do not have a higher-quality mask and knot the ear loops to improve the fit.
▪ Avoid large crowds and cancel all social gatherings.
“We hope that our area will follow the trend seen in South Africa, where the Omicron variant drove a steep increase in cases that also declined rapidly,” Whatcom County Co-Health Director Dr. Amy Harley said in the release. “However, there is no certainty that this will happen. All of us need to act to slow down the surge.”
Lautenbach added that the health department is encouraged by efforts of state and federal officials to provide free rapid tests and high-quality masks to residents, including measures announced by Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this week, and that details will be provided by the health department once it has them.
“In the meantime, our health care providers and community partners are doing their best but can’t stop this surge alone,” Lautenbach said. “We need everyone’s help to reduce the strain on our health care system.”
