Whatcom adds two new COVID-related deaths, but case and hospitalization rates hold steady
Whatcom County’s weekly COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates remained steady last week, but the county continues to feel some lingering impact from its January omicron surge with two new COVID-related deaths reported Friday.
As of Friday, March 25, the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard reported 289 residents’ deaths during the pandemic have been linked to COVID-19.
The two deaths reported Friday were for residents who first tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 15 and Jan. 17, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data showed, bringing Whatcom’s epidemiological death total for January to a pandemic-high 49 deaths. There have been 63 COVID-related deaths epidemiologically linked to 2022, so far, including one in March.
With 15,714 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in the county so far this year 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 average of deaths resulting in 0.8% 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, March 24, 87% of the first 281 COVID-related deaths in the county were in residents 60 and older, including 133 deaths in residents 80 and older. The data also shows Whatcom has had one death of a person between 10 and 19, six deaths of people in their 30s and 15 in their 40s.
The county health department has not updated vaccine breakthrough death data since mid-February, but between Aug. 22, 2021, and Feb. 12, approximately 61% of deaths were among the county’s unvaccinated residents.
Whatcom latest COVID numbers
Whatcom County saw 58 new total (confirmed and probable combined) COVID-19 cases reported by the state on Friday, upping its weekly total of new cases to 177. Through the pandemic, Whatcom County has had 37,098 total cases.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, meanwhile, reported it was treating five patients for COVID-related symptoms on Monday, March 28, which was down from counts of six on Friday through Sunday, March 25-27. Over the past seven days, the hospital’s daily snapshot has shown an average of 6.0 COVID-related patients per day, which represents 2.4% of the hospital’s 252 inpatient beds.
The latest report on the state dashboard, which is updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, shows Whatcom County has:
▪ 32,587 confirmed cases during the pandemic — up 54 from the last report. Whatcom saw a total of 161 new confirmed cases reported last week, which was up from the 148 reported the week before.
▪ 4,511 additional probable COVID cases during the pandemic — up four from the last report — resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test. Whatcom saw a total of 16 new probable cases reported last week, which was down from the 26 reported the week before.
▪ A weekly infection rate of 53 cases per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data March 10-16 — down from 67 one week earlier (March 3-9).
▪ 1,517 COVID-related hospitalizations during the pandemic — up seven from the last report. Whatcom saw 21 new hospitalizations reported last week, which was down from 28 the week before.
▪ A weekly COVID-related hospitalization rate of 4.4 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological hospitalization data March 10-16 — down from 4.8 from a week earlier (March 3-9).
▪ 370,709 vaccinations administered during the pandemic — up 223 from the last report. A total of 762 administered doses were reported in Whatcom County last week, down from 833 the week before. The state reports 74.7% of Whatcom County’s total population has initiated vaccination and 68.3% has completed it.
▪ 87,113 booster vaccine doses administered, meaning 60.9% of Whatcom’s residents eligible to receive a booster dose have done so.
Whatcom schools COVID update
COVID infection rates in Whatcom County schools continued to drop during the third week of March, The Herald’s analysis of Whatcom County school districts showed.
The county’s seven public school districts reported a total of 27 new COVID-19 cases for the week of March 13-19, or approximately 1.2 cases per 1,000 students in those districts. That was down from a rate of 1.3 cases per 1,000 students from a week earlier (March 6-12), The Herald found.
Since returning from winter break, the seven districts have reported a total of 3,291 cases, or approximately 150.2 per 1,000 students.
Except for Ferndale, which does not report case counts from individual schools, Whatcom County elementary schools have seen average weekly infection rates of approximately 12.0 cases per 1,000 students in elementary schools, 12.6 cases per 1,000 students in middle schools and 12.4 cases per 1,000 students in high schools since winter break, The Herald’s analysis found.
The COVID-19 dashboards on Whatcom County school district websites showed:
▪ Bellingham Public Schools has reported 938 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or a weekly rate of 14.3 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported 12 cases the week of March 13-19, which was one fewer than the week before.
▪ Blaine School District has reported 548 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or a weekly rate of 21.4 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported one case the week of March 13-19, which was two fewer than the week before.
▪ Lynden School District has reported 398 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or a weekly rate of 11.0 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported three case the week of March 13-19, which was two more than the week before.
▪ Meridian School District has reported 354 COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or a weekly rate of 17.6 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported one case the week of March 13-19, which was one fewer than the week before.
▪ Mount Baker School District has reported 296 COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break, or a weekly rate of 14.5 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported two cases the week of March 13-19, which was one more than the week before.
▪ Nooksack Valley School District has reported 348 cases in its schools since winter break, or a weekly rate of 15.9 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. The district reported three cases the week of March 13-19, which was two more than the week before.
▪ Ferndale School District reported Monday, March 28, that 11 students or staff had positive COVID-19 tests reported to the Whatcom County Health Department, which was up from six reported March 21.
