Covid-19 cases rise in county, but remain low for CDC’s community transmission

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Covid-19 cases are slightly increasing in Whatcom County, but remain in the CDC’s low community level rating. Residents in low transmission areas are advised to get tested if they have Covid-19 symptoms and stay updated with Covid-19 vaccines. 

There were 252 Covid-19 cases reported in Whatcom County the week of April 16, which is a 30 percent increase from the previous week, according to Whatcom County Health Department data. This is the highest that cases have been since the last week of February, when there were 296 cases reported.

The Omicron BA.2 variant became the dominant variant in Washington state and has been found in Whatcom County, according to the health department. The Omicron BA.2 variant was first detected in the U.S. in December 2021, according to the CDC. 

Whatcom County has a weekly case rate of 111 cases per 100,000 people. Case rates are 97 cases per 100,000 unvaccinated people, 90 cases per 100,000 fully vaccinated people and 103 cases per 100,000 people who have at least one booster shot, according to April 16 health department data.

There are now 296 Covid-19 deaths in Whatcom County. The hospitalization rate over the past week was one hospitalization per 100,000 people. In total, 1,532 Whatcom County residents have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic. 

In Blaine, 3,157 Covid-19 cases, 115 hospitalizations and 24 deaths have been reported since the start of the pandemic. Of those Blaine deaths, 20 people, or 83 percent, were unvaccinated. Nearly 65 percent of Covid-19 cases in Blaine have been people unvaccinated and 77 percent of hospitalizations have been people unvaccinated. 

The health department is now publishing its in-depth Covid-19 report monthly, instead of weekly. In the report published April 15, which covers March 1-31, Covid-19 cases declined to an average of 18 new cases per day in March, comparable to the beginning of the Delta surge in mid-July 2021. However, this number could be higher as at-home antigen test results have become more popular and are not reported.

In March, 37 people were hospitalized for Covid-19 and 633 people tested positive. The weekly case average declined 84 percent from February to March. The county hospitalization rate also declined from 7 percent to 1.3 percent of all county cases from the start to the end of the month. There were only two Covid-19 deaths in Whatcom County in March, according to preliminary health department data. There were 49 deaths in January and 15 in February. 

The CDC’s community transmission levels for Whatcom County can be found at bit.ly/3xV6QhO. County health department data is available at bit.ly/3KdiRBS. 

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