COVID infection rate higher than 2,000 in one Whatcom region, as cases spike across county
Six of the seven school district regions within Whatcom County saw triple-digit increases in the the number of COVID-19 cases within their boundaries last week, while the seventh had more than 1,000 new cases.
Spurred by the omicron variant, all seven regions now have two-week infection rates of more than 1,500 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the Whatcom County Health Department’s latest location data released on Tuesday, Jan. 1, while one region’s rate topped 2,000 for the first time during the pandemic.
Five regions had their total number of cases grow by more than 10% last week, alone, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis showed.
The region covered by Bellingham Public School led the way in new cases, becoming the first region to log more than 1,000 cases in a week, but the Ferndale region became the first to have its two-week infection rate surpass 2,000.
Age-range data showed weekly infection rates were highest among Whatcom residents between the ages of 18 and 24 (2,056 cases per 100,000 residents) and those 25 to 44 years old (1,988 cases per 100,000 residents), though those between 5 and 17 also were relatively high (1,499 cases per 100,000 residents). Whatcom residents 65 and older were the only age group with an infection rate lower than 500 cases per 100,000 residents (371).
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, Jan. 8.
Overall, Whatcom County saw a 12.6% growth in cases with 2,687 new cases between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8 — up from the 1,373 new cases the county reported the previous week.
With 4,060 cases in the past two weeks, Whatcom County has an overall two-week infection rate of 1,804 cases per 100,000 residents, based on 225,300 residents in the county. Six of the county’s regions had infection rates lower than that mark, according to the county’s data this week.
As of Monday, Jan. 8, the Washington State Department of Health reported that 70% of all Whatcom County residents had initiated vaccination and 64% had completed it.
Here is what the health department’s latest data showed for the seven regions in the county:
Bellingham: Up 18.5% (1,428 cases) since the Jan. 4 report to 9,149 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 763 last week to 1,778 this week. Approximately 81% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 24 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 in the past two weeks.
Blaine: Up 11.6% (197 cases) since the Jan. 4 report to 1,897 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 870 last week to 1,655 this week. Approximately 74% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 11 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Ferndale: Up 11.3% (467 cases) since the Jan. 4 report to 4,616 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 996 last week to 2,082 this week. Approximately 69% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen eight COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Lynden: Up 6.0% (217 cases) since the Jan. 4 report to 3,820 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 981 last week to 1,609 this week. Approximately 57% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 70 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Meridian: Up 10.5% (128 cases) since the Jan. 4 report to 1,343 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 740 last week to 1,712 this week. Approximately 66% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 45 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Mount Baker: Up 10.5% (139 cases) since the Jan. 4 report to 1,459 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 772 last week to 1,506 this week. Approximately 49% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen six COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
Nooksack Valley: Up 6.9% (111 cases) since the Jan. 4 report to 1,729 total cases, and the rate of new infections per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days increased from 976 last week to 1,673 this week. Approximately 54% of residents in the region have initiated vaccination, and the region has seen 52 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
