Whatcom County has one new COVID-19 case as death count fluctuates, state reports Monday
One more Whatcom resident has tested positive for COVID-19 according to the Washington State Department of Health on Monday, Aug. 10. The state is again reporting 40 total deaths in the county after adjusting the number by one from Sunday.
The state health department’s death data report includes different categories of deaths related to COVID-19 in an effort to collect, maintain and publish more meaningful data. That dropped the number of dead attributed to Whatcom County from 40 on Saturday to 39 on Sunday, before going back up to 40 on Monday. Similar adjustments can be expected routinely, the state said last month.
Whatcom County now has had 990 confirmed cases and 40 deaths during the pandemic, according to the state. The new numbers mean 4% of people diagnosed with the new coronavirus in Whatcom have died — according to state Department of Health data as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9.
The state also reported Monday that Whatcom County has had 81 hospitalizations. The number of tests conducted and the percent that returned positive was not posted on the state’s COVID-19 data dashboard for the fifth day.
The most recent data from the state’s Risk Assessment Dashboard, reported on Monday for data ending 11:59 p.m. Sunday, shows Whatcom County missing three of five Phase 2 metrics goals:
▪ Whatcom is missing the target rate of fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents every 14 days with a rate of 63.9.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target rate of more than 50 individuals tested for each new confirmed case the past week with a rate of 39.8.
▪ Whatcom is missing the target of 2% or less of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 during the past week with a rate of 2.5%.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 80% of all licensed hospital beds occupied by non-COVID-19 patients with 79.6% reported by the state.
▪ Whatcom is making the target of less than 10% of all licensed hospital beds being occupied by COVID-19 patients with 0% reported by the state.
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported to The Bellingham Herald on Monday that it was not treating any patients for the new coronavirus for the second day in a row.
U.S. and Washington state
More than 19.9 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 732,889 deaths as of Monday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has over 5.07 million confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — and at least 163,282 related deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health Monday afternoon reported 63,647 cases (an increase of 575), 1,697 deaths (an increase of 9) and 6,049 coronavirus-related hospitalizations (an increase of 48). Approximately 2.7% of all confirmed cases in the state have resulted in death, while the number of tests given and percent positive were not available.
Phased reopening
Gov. Jay Inslee July 28 extended the pause indefinitely on counties moving ahead in the Safe Start Washington plan.
Five counties remain in a modified version of Phase 1, 17 counties — including Whatcom — are in Phase 2 and 17 counties are in Phase 3.
Phase 2 allows restaurants and taverns to operate at half capacity with table occupancy limited to five, hair and nail salons and barber shops to resume business, and retail stores to reopen for in-store purchases at 30% capacity. It also allows additional outdoor recreation and gatherings with no more than five people outside of a person’s household.
Phase 3 allows gyms and movie theaters to operate at half capacity and restaurants to increase capacity to 75%. A prohibition on bar seating at restaurants and taverns was added in this phase earlier in July.