Data shows 3 more deaths among Whatcom’s vaccinated, but COVID infection rate cut in half
The weekly COVID-19 infection rate among Whatcom County’s fully vaccinated population dropped by more than half during the first week of February, but three of the four most recent COVID-related deaths in the county were among fully vaccinated residents.
The three deaths, which occurred between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5, were all women older than 50, according to the Whatcom County Health Department’s latest COVID-19 Data Report released Friday, Feb. 11, including one in her 50s, another in her 60s and a third in her 80s.
The one death among the county’s unvaccinated population was a man in his 60s, the health department reported.
Seeing more deaths among Whatcom’s fully vaccinated population is not surprising as the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated increases, the health department noted.
“As the proportion of vaccinated individuals increases in the population, and the exposure to COVID-19 remains the same, then it is expected that a greater proportion of deaths will occur among the vaccinated population,” Friday’s report stated. “Fewer and fewer deaths are expected among unvaccinated individuals since this proportion of the population is decreasing.”
Since Aug. 22, when the county started weekly reports on vaccination status, 67% of the county’s 129 COVID-related deaths (86 deaths) have been among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents.
The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the county’s data showed the infection rate among fully vaccinated Whatcom residents dropped by nearly more than 50% the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5.
The county reported there were 480 new COVID-19 cases in Whatcom County among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5, which represents about a third of the county’s 1,431 new cases that week.
Based on the 152,099 residents in the county who would have been fully vaccinated by Jan. 30, according to previous reports on the state dashboard, The Herald’s analysis found that the weekly infection rate among fully vaccinated residents was 316 cases per 100,000 residents, which is down from the rate of 640 per 100,000 residents one week earlier (Jan. 23-29).
The Herald found the infection rate among unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Whatcom County residents also was down, but not as dramatically, as the health department reported 951 COVID cases among fully vaccinated residents in the county between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5. That works out to an infection rate of 1,241 cases per 100,000 residents, The Herald’s analysis found, which is down from 1,669 cases per 100,000 residents one week earlier (Jan. 23-29).
For the second straight week, new hospitalization data was not included in the report, as the health department cited data processing errors.
In the seven weeks since Dec. 19, which is when Whatcom began to experience its omicron surge in cases, 66% of COVID-19 cases (10,037 of 15,296 total cases), 74% of COVID-related hospitalizations (146 of 197 hospitalizations) and 60% of COVID-related deaths (27 of 45 deaths) have been in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents, The Herald’s analysis of the county’s data showed.
As of Monday, Feb. 14, the state reported that 364,683 vaccinations have been administered in Whatcom County and that 74.1% of Whatcom’s total population had initiated vaccination and 67.5% has completed it. The state also reported 83,193 additional doses, which include extra doses administered to immunocompromised residents and booster shots, have been administered in the county.
According to the CDC, people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or their single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
More Whatcom numbers
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 30 COVID-related patients on Wednesday, Feb. 16, down two from its last report and the fewest it has reported since it had 29 COVID-related patients on Dec. 29.
The Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard is now only updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. As of Monday, Feb. 15, it listed Whatcom County pandemic totals of:
▪ 36,248 COVID-19 cases (confirmed and probable combined) and a weekly infection rate of 761 cases per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1.
▪ 1,396 COVID-related hospitalizations and a weekly hospitalization rate of 23.3 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1.
▪ 253 COVID-related deaths and a rate of 0.7% of cases resulting in death.
Free at-home tests
The Bellingham Fire Department reported that it once again has free at-home COVID-19 tests available to be picked up.
The tests will be available for pick up from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the station at 1800 Broadway.
“Please park in the parking lot or in designated parking spots along the street. Limit one person picking up tests per family,” the department said in a Facebook post.
The department reported one week earlier that it had exhausted its supply from the first batch.
Whatcom schools COVID update
The Herald’s analysis of COVID-19 data dashboards show that the Bellingham, Meridian, Mount Baker and Ferndale school districts reported a total of 148 cases Feb. 5-11, or approximately 13.3 cases per 1,000 students. The Blaine, Lynden and Nooksack Valley dashboards have not yet been updated with data from last week.
The case rate is down from 29.9 cases per 1,000 students the week before (Jan. 31 through Feb. 4), when there were a total of 391 total cases reported by all seven school districts.
Since returning from winter break, the seven school districts in the county have reported 2,492 cases, or approximately 96.1 cases per 1,000 students, The Herald’s analysis found. Elementary schools have had 93.9 cases per 1,000 students (1,055 total cases), middle schools have had 99.8 cases per 1,000 students (525 total cases) and high schools have had 96.8 cases per 1,000 students (694 total cases). An additional 218 cases have been seen among district staff and in other programs.
▪ Bellingham Public Schools has reported 827 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or approximately 68.6 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported 60 cases with a possible exposure window the week of Feb. 5-11, which was down from 73 the week before. The 60 cases include: one case at Alderwood Elementary, eight cases at Bellingham High, 13 cases at Birchwood Elementary, two cases at Carl Cozier Elementary, two cases at Geneva Elementary, six cases at Happy Valley Elementary, two cases at Kulshan Middle School, one cases at Lowell Elementary, two cases at Parkview Elementary, nine cases at Roosevelt Elementary, one case at Sehome High, one case at Shuksan Middle School, two cases at Silver Beach Elementary, eight cases at Squalicum High, one case at Sunnyland Elementary and one case at Whatcom Middle School.
▪ Blaine School District has reported 417 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or approximately 179.5 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district has not yet reported cases for the week of Feb. 5-11, but it had 54 cases the week of Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, which was up from 36 the week before.
▪ Ferndale School District reported that as of Monday, Feb. 14, 34 students or staff have had a positive test reported to the Whatcom County Health Department in the past seven days. That was down from 44 reported one week earlier (Feb. 8).
▪ Lynden School District has reported 337 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or approximately 93.0 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district has not yet reported cases for the week of Feb. 5-11, but it had 57 cases the week of Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, which was down from 74 the week before.
▪ Meridian School District has reported 337 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or approximately 184.6 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported 27 cases with a possible exposure window the week of Feb. 7-11, which was down from 54 the week before. The 27 cases include: two cases in the Meridian Parent Partnership Program, 14 cases at Irene Reither Elementary, one case at Meridian Middle School and 10 cases at Meridian High.
▪ Mount Baker School District has reported 284 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or approximately 152.9 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported 23 cases with a possible exposure window the week of Feb. 5-11, which was down from 39 the week before. The 23 cases include: three cases at Acme Elementary, six cases at Harmony Elementary, six cases at Kendall Elementary, four cases at Mount Baker Junior High, three cases at Mount Baker High and one case among district staff.
▪ Nooksack Valley School District has reported 290 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or approximately 146.2 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district has not yet reported cases for the week of Feb. 5-11, but it had 43 cases the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, which was down from 79 the week before.
