Four more deaths linked to Whatcom’s COVID-19 omicron surge, while 474 new cases reported

Four more Whatcom County residents’ deaths have been linked to the county’s omicron surge in COVID-19 cases, according to the state, while 474 total new cases were reported Thursday.

The four deaths reported Thursday on the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard brought the county’s pandemic total to 222, including 21 reported since Jan. 1.

All four deaths that were reported Thursday were people who had first tested positive for COVID-19 since the first of the year — two on Jan. 9 and one each on Jan. 7 and Jan. 16 — The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data found, bringing the county’s epidemiological death total for January to eight.

Since Aug. 1, the beginning of the delta surge, there have been 110 epidemiological deaths, The Herald found, which is nearly half of the county’s pandemic total.

With 17,887 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in the county since Aug. 1, Whatcom has seen 0.6% 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 0.8%, according to the state’s data, and the statewide 0.9% rate for the pandemic.

No other information about the people whose deaths were reported Thursday, such as their age, gender, vaccination status or hometown, was reported.

Through data reported by the Whatcom County Health Department on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 87% of the first 217 COVID-related deaths in the county were in residents 60 and older, including 104 deaths in residents 80 and older. Though the county has not seen any deaths of people younger than 30, the data shows, the deaths of five residents in their 30s and 13 residents in their 40s have been linked to COVID-19.

As of the Whatcom County Health Department’s latest COVID-19 Data Report released Friday, Jan. 14, 64% of Whatcom County’s 73 COVID-related deaths since Aug. 22, were in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents, The Herald’s analysis shows.

Other Whatcom numbers

The latest report on the state dashboard also shows Whatcom County has:

▪ 25,399 confirmed cases during the pandemic — up 397 from the last report.

▪ 2,902 additional probable COVID cases during the pandemic — up 77 from the last report — resulting from positive antigen tests not confirmed by a molecular test.

▪ A weekly infection rate of 1,333 cases per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data Jan. 1-7 — up from 586 one week earlier (Dec. 25-31).

▪ With 6,917 total cases epidemiologically linked to January, one in 34 Whatcom County residents has tested positive for COVID in 2022.

▪ 1,189 COVID-related hospitalizations during the pandemic — up five from the last report.

▪ St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 67 patients with COVID-related symptoms on Friday, Jan. 21, which was down three from its last report.

▪ A weekly COVID-related hospitalization rate of 21.5 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological hospitalization data from Jan. 1-7 — up from 14.5 from a week earlier (Dec. 25-31).

▪ 1.6% of the 3,039 total COVID cases in the county Jan. 1-7 resulted in hospitalizations, The Herald’s analysis of state epidemiological data found, which was down from 2.5% of the 1,336 total cases a week earlier (Dec. 25-31).

▪ 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 Feb. 28.

▪ 349,144 vaccinations administered during the pandemic. The state reports 70.2% of Whatcom County’s total population has initiated vaccination and 64.4% has completed it.

Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data Tracker Friday listed Whatcom’s level of transmission as “High” — the highest of four categories. All of the 39 counties in Washington state and 99.5% of counties nationwide also were listed in the “High” transmission category.

Whatcom long-term care update

Whatcom County had 35 new COVID-19 cases associated with its long-term care facilities reported last week and one new COVID-related death, according to the Washington State Department of Health’s latest COVID-19 Long-Term Care Report.

According to the report, which was released Tuesday and reflected data through Monday, Whatcom County long-term care facilities have had 784 confirmed cases during the pandemic. The number of COVID-related deaths related to Whatcom’s long-term care facilities climbed to 82, according to the state’s data.

The 784 cases mean that long-term care facilities had 3% of the total cases reported in Whatcom County as of Jan. 17, while the 82 related deaths represented 38% of the county’s death total.

Statewide, long-term care facilities have been associated with 29,943 cases (3% of the state’s total cases) and 3,300 related deaths (32% of the state’s death total).

Whatcom schools COVID update

The COVID-19 dashboards on Whatcom County school district websites showed:

▪ Bellingham Public Schools has reported 373 COVID-19 cases in its schools since the winter break, including 31 new cases listed Thursday. Of those new cases, 16 had a possible exposure window of Jan. 10-14: one new case at Alderwood Elementary (11 total cases), two new cases at Bellingham High (30 total cases), two new cases at Cordata Elementary (three total cases), four new cases at Happy Valley Elementary (six total cases), three new cases at Kulshan Middle School (six total cases) and four new cases at Silver Beach Elementary. The other 15 cases had a possible exposure window of Jan. 18-21: one new case at Alderwood Elementary (two cases total), one new case at Bellingham High (five total cases), two cases at Cordata Elementary, one new case at Fairhaven Middle School (two cases total), one case at Happy Valley Elementary, one new case at Kulshan Middle School (three total cases), two cases at Parkview Elementary, four cases at Sehome High and two new cases at Whatcom Middle School (eight total cases).

▪ Blaine School District reported 182 total COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break and listed no new cases Thursday.

▪ Lynden School District has reported 293 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, but it hasn’t reported any cases since Dec. 17.

▪ Meridian School District reported 106 COVID-19 cases in its schools since winter break and listed no new cases Thursday.

▪ Mount Baker School District has reported eight COVID-19 cases in its schools since the return from winter break, including seven new cases Thursday with a possible exposure window of Jan. 3-9: one case at Acme Elementary, one case at Harmony Elementary, two cases at Kendall Elementary, two cases at Mount Baker Junior High and one new case at Mount Baker High (two total cases).

▪ Nooksack Valley School District has reported 67 COVID-19 cases since returning from winter break, and listed no new cases Thursday.

▪ Ferndale School District reported that as of Thursday, 117 students or staff had a positive test reported to the Whatcom County Health Department in the past seven days — up 24 from the last report and the highest it has reported this year. Sixty-five of those people were on a school campus during their infectious period.