Whatcom adds 5 more COVID-related deaths, but new cases and hospitalizations remain low
Though COVID-19 case numbers remained relatively low and the hospitalization count dropped, Whatcom County had five new COVID-related deaths added to its pandemic total on Friday.
Whatcom now has had 267 residents’ deaths linked to COVID-19 during the pandemic, according to the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard on Friday, Feb. 25.
The deaths reported Friday were for people who first tested positive for COVID on Jan. 20, Jan. 23, Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and Feb. 3, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data showed. Whatcom has now had a pandemic-high 37 COVID-related deaths epidemiologically linked to January, while there have been four deaths so far in February.
Since Dec. 19, which is approximately when Whatcom County began to see the omicron surge, there have been 153 epidemiological deaths, The Herald found.
With 13,939 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in the county since Dec. 19 Whatcom has seen 0.4% of cases during that time frame result in death, The Herald’s analysis showed. That is better than the county’s total pandemic death average of 0.7% of cases.
No other information about the people whose deaths were reported Friday, such as their age, gender, vaccination status or hometown, was reported.
Through data reported by the Whatcom County Health Department Thursday, Feb. 24, 87% of the first 262 COVID-related deaths in the county were in residents 60 and older, including 126 deaths in residents 80 and older. But the county saw its first COVID-related death of a resident younger than 20 reported on Thursday. The data shows the deaths of five residents in their 30s and 15 residents in their 40s have been linked to COVID-19.
The Herald’s analysis of data reported by the county and last updated Feb. 11 also shows that between Dec. 19 and Feb. 5, 60% of Whatcom’s 45 reported deaths (27 deaths) have been among residents who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
Other Whatcom numbers
The latest report on the state dashboard, which is now only updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, also shows Whatcom County has:
▪ 31,836 confirmed cases during the pandemic — up 27 from the last report.
▪ 4,409 additional probable COVID cases during the pandemic — up seven from the last report — resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.
▪ A weekly infection rate of 409 cases per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data Feb. 6-12 — down from 621 one week earlier (Jan. 30-Feb. 5).
▪ 1,409 COVID-related hospitalizations during the pandemic — down 11 from the last report. The drop, according to the dashboard, was a result of “data cleaning and reconciliation efforts by DOH and local health jurisdictions.”
▪ St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 16 patients with COVID-related symptoms on Friday, which was up one from its last report.
▪ A weekly COVID-related hospitalization rate of 15.4 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological hospitalization data Feb. 6-12 — down from 21.5 from a week earlier (Jan. 30-Feb. 5).
▪ 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 March 31.
▪ 367,007 vaccinations administered during the pandemic — up 436 from the last report. The state reports 74.3% of Whatcom County’s total population has initiated vaccination and 67.8% has completed it. The state also reports Whatcom has administered 84,804 “additional doses,” which includes third doses for immunocompromised residents and booster doses, have been administered.
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
