Whatcom surpasses 17,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases during pandemic and sees another death

Whatcom County had another COVID-related death reported by the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard on Friday, Dec. 3, and surpassed 17,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases during the pandemic.

The death reported Friday was the 178th related to COVID-19 during the pandemic, according to the state.

It was for a person who first tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 11, according to The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of the state’s epidemiological data, making it the 22nd death epidemiologically linked to the month of August. There has been one epidemiological death so far in November and 66 since Aug. 1.

With 8,126 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in the county since Aug. 1, Whatcom has seen 0.8% of cases during that time frame result in death, The Herald’s analysis showed. That is still better than the county’s pandemic death average of 1.0%, according to the state’s data, and the statewide 1.2% rate.

No other information about the person who died, such as their age, gender, vaccination status or hometown, was reported.

Before the death reported Friday and two others reported Thursday, 75% of Whatcom’s 63 deaths since Aug. 1 were in people 65 and older, according to The Herald’s analysis of the latest age-range data released by the state on Monday, Nov. 22. An additional eight deaths (13%) were in people 50-64, while six (10%) were in people between 35 and 49.

For the entire pandemic before the deaths reported Thursday and Friday, 82% of Whatcom’s first 175 deaths were in people 65 and older, according to analysis of the state data, which also showed that residents 65 and older accounted for 11% of all Whatcom cases through Nov. 29. No COVID-related deaths have been reported in any Whatcom residents younger than 30 during the pandemic, according to data released by the Whatcom County Health Department.

There were 54 COVID-related deaths in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Whatcom County residents between Feb. 1 and Nov. 27, including 27 since Aug. 22, according to The Herald’s analysis of the latest data released Friday, Dec. 3, by the Whatcom County Health Department. For comparison, there were 23 deaths of fully vaccinated residents between Feb. 1 and Nov. 27, including 17 since Aug. 22.

More Whatcom numbers

Other Whatcom County COVID data shows that:

▪ With 72 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Friday, Whatcom County has had a pandemic total of 17,069 cases. The county’s case total increased by 473 last week, which was fewer than the 337 increase seen two weeks earlier (weekly data was not available the week of Thanksgiving, due to the state not reporting data on Thanksgiving or National Native American Heritage Day).

▪ Whatcom saw an additional two probable cases reported Friday, resulting from a positive antigen test not confirmed by a molecular test, bringing its pandemic total to 1,470 probable cases. Whatcom had 38 probable cases reported last week — the same as two weeks earlier.

▪ Whatcom’s weekly infection rate stands at 169 cases per 100,000 residents based on the state’s most recently completed data from Nov. 18-24, which is up from 157 from the week before (Nov. 11-17). Whatcom has the seventh-highest weekly infection rate of the 39 counties in the state, according to the state dashboard.

▪ With three COVID-related hospitalizations reported Friday, Whatcom has seen 955 hospitalizations reported during the pandemic. The county had 36 hospitalizations reported last week, which was up 10 from two weeks earlier.

▪ Whatcom’s weekly hospitalization rate stands at 9.2 COVID-related hospitalizations per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed data from Nov. 18-24, which is up from 8.8 the week before (Nov. 11-17). Whatcom has the seventh-highest weekly hospitalization rate of the 39 counties in the state, according to the state dashboard.

▪ St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported that it was treating 32 patients for COVID-related symptoms on Monday, Dec. 6, which was unchanged from Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4, and down one from Sunday, Dec. 5.

▪ The state’s vaccination report on Friday showed the county has now administered 304,230 vaccine doses — an increase of 6,764 last week, which was less than the 7,599 reported two weeks earlier. The state estimated that 68.2% of the total population in the county has initiated vaccination and 62.9% had completed it. Both percentages were ahead of the averages across the state, which reported that 66.9% of the state’s total population initiated vaccination and 61.7% are fully vaccinated.

▪ The statewide Effective Reproductive Number (R-effective) shows that each person who tests positive for COVID-19 is estimated to infect 9.94 others as of Nov. 13, which is down from 1.00 on Nov. 6. Anything below 1.0 means that transmission of the disease should be shrinking.

The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker on Monday continued to list the level of transmission in Whatcom County as “High” (the highest of four classifications). All 39 Washington state’s 39 counties, except for Ferry County, are listed in the “High” category.

Whatcom schools COVID update

The Herald’s analysis of data published by the Bellingham, Blaine, Lynden, Meridian and Mount Baker districts, which list which schools cases are reported in, shows there have been 688 total cases reported in those districts, an increase of 80 from two weeks earlier.

There have been a total of 282 cases reported in elementary schools, 144 cases reported in middle/junior high schools and 199 cases reported in high schools so far this school year. Another 63 cases have been reported in other district programs or facilities.

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

▪ Bellingham Public Schools has reported 156 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 12.9 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. Five new cases were listed Friday: one new case at Bellingham High with a possible exposure window of Nov. 22-26, one case at Silver Beach Elementary with a possible exposure window of Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, one case at Sehome High with a possible exposure window of Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, one case at Kulsan Middle School with a possible exposure window of Nov. 29 to Dec. and one case at Bellingham High with a possible exposure window of Nov. 29 to Dec. 3. One case had previously been reported at Bellingham High with an exposure window of Nov. 22-26.

▪ Blaine School District has reported 153 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 65.9 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. No new cases were reported Friday.

▪ Lynden School District has reported 261 total COVID-19 cases in its schools this year, or approximately 72.0 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. Nine new cases were listed Nov. 22-24: two cases at Fisher Elementary, three cases at Lynden Middle School and four cases at Lynden High.

▪ Meridian School District has reported 75 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 41.1 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. Thirteen new cases were listed Monday: two cases reported Nov. 29 at Meridian Middle School, two cases reported Nov. 30 at Meridian Middle School, four cases reported Nov. 30 at Meridian High, two cases reported Dec. 2 at Irene Reither Elementary, one case reported Dec. 2 at Meridian High, one case reported Dec. 3 at Irene Reither Elementary and one case reported Dec. 5 at Irene Reither Elementary.

▪ Mount Baker School District has reported 43 COVID-19 cases in its schools this school year, or approximately 23.1 cases per 1,000 students, according to The Herald’s analysis. It listed eight new cases Friday: one case reported Nov. 4 at Mount Baker High, one case reported Nov. 4 at Harmony Elementary, one case reported Nov. 8 at Harmony Elementary, one case reported Nov. 11 at Mount Baker High, two cases reported Nov. 12 at Harmony Elementary, one case reported Nov. 22 at Mount Baker High and one case reported Nov. 24 at Mount Baker High.

▪ Nooksack Valley School District has 21 cases in its schools since it began reported Oct. 31, but no new cases were reported Nov. 10-30 due to school closures caused by recent flooding.

▪ Ferndale School District reports that as of Monday, 17 students or staff have had a positive test reported to the Whatcom County Health Department in the past seven days, up eight from the previous report. Of those, eight people were on a school campus during their infectious period.