Whatcom’s COVID-19 case rate continues to drop, but three more deaths reported in county
Whatcom County’s weekly COVID-19 infection rate dropped to its lowest mark since July 31, but three more resident deaths have been linked to the respiratory illness.
Whatcom County now has seen 282 COVID-related deaths during the pandemic, according to the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard on Wednesday, March 16.
The three deaths reported Wednesday were for people who first tested positive for COVID on Jan. 17, Jan. 31 and Feb. 4, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of state epidemiological data showed. So far, Whatcom County has had a pandemic-high 43 deaths epidemiologically linked to January and another 12 in February. No deaths have been linked to March, as of Wednesday.
With 15,462 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in the county in 2022, Whatcom has seen 0.4% of cases this year result in death, The Herald’s analysis showed. That is better than the county’s total pandemic death average of 0.8% of cases.
No other information about the people whose deaths were reported Wednesday, such as their age, gender, vaccination status or hometown, was reported.
Data reported by the Whatcom County Health Department Thursday, March 10, shows 87% of the first 278 COVID-related deaths in the county were in residents 60 and older, including 134 deaths in residents 80 and older. The data also shows Whatcom has had one death of a person between 10 and 19, five deaths of people in their 30s and 15 in their 40s.
The county health department has not updated vaccine breakthrough death totals the past four weeks, but between Aug. 22, 2021, and Feb. 12, approximately 61% of deaths were among the county’s unvaccinated residents.
Whatcom’s latest COVID data
Whatcom had 55 total new cases reported on the state dashboard on Wednesday. The latest report on the state dashboard, which is updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, also shows Whatcom County has:
▪ 32,367 confirmed cases during the pandemic — up 46 from the last report.
▪ 4,487 additional 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 80 cases per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data March 1-7 — down from 121 one week earlier (Feb. 22-28) and the county’s lowest mark since the rate stood at 79 for epidemiological data July 25-31.
▪ 1,481 COVID-related hospitalizations during the pandemic — up seven from the last report.
▪ A weekly COVID-related hospitalization rate of 7.0 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological hospitalization data March 1-7 — up from 5.7 from a week earlier (Feb. 22-28).
▪ 369,689 vaccinations administered during the pandemic — up 167 from the last report. The state reports 74.6% of Whatcom County’s total population has initiated vaccination and 68.2% has completed it.
▪ 86,542 booster vaccine doses administered and 60.8% of Whatcom’s residents eligible to receive a booster dose have done so.
▪ 816 confirmed omicron variant cases and 2,082 confirmed delta variant cases, according to the weekly SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing and Variants in Washington State released Wednesday. That was an increase of 105 omicron cases and no delta case since last week’s report, though with just 7.2% of all confirmed COVID cases in the state sequenced during the month of February, those numbers are likely much higher.
Hospital to allow visitors
PeaceHealth announced in a news release Thursday that it has resumed allowing visitors — one per patient at a time — at St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham. Visitors are still required to wear a mask in healthcare settings, according to CDC and state Department of Health guidelines.
COVID-19 patients, with some exceptions, are not allowed visitors due to ongoing infection prevention protocols, according to the release.
“The easing of restrictions comes as COVID-19 transmission rates in Whatcom County continue to fall,” the release reads. “In alignment with other Washington state healthcare organizations, PeaceHealth is using the CDC’s transmission map to guide us on next steps in COVID-19 response in our communities.
“The decision was made after Whatcom County had maintained a ‘substantial’ transmission risk level — vs. high, moderate or low — for more than seven days, thereby meeting PeaceHealth’s criteria for easing restrictions.”
Volunteers were also allowed to resume work in PeaceHealth’s Whatcom facilities, according to the release.
“Although we are pleased that we seem to be through the worst of the COVID-19 delta and omicron waves, we know we must remain vigilant and cautious,” the release reads.
The hospital reported it was treating five patients with COVID-related symptoms on Thursday, March 17, which is up one from its reports on Tuesday and Wednesday. The hospital’s daily snapshot has averaged 5.0 COVID-related patients per day the past week, which accounts for approximately 2% of the 252 inpatient beds at the hospital.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 9:56 AM.
