The first Omicron Covid-19 variant was detected in Whatcom County on December 10.
A vaccinated man in his 30s is now isolating after being the first person in the county to test positive for the new variant, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
The CDC believes the variant spreads more quickly than most Covid-19 variants, but health professionals are still trying to understand how it impacts people, including whether it is more likely to cause serious illness and infect fully vaccinated individuals. The health department is recommending anyone who has not yet received their Covid-19 booster to do so.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) confirmed Omicron was in the state after finding detections in Thurston, Pierce and King counties on December 4.
Covid-19 case rates have decreased in all county school district areas since last week. The Blaine school district area has the second lowest case rate in the county, with 143 cases per 100,000 people.
Children 4 years old and younger had the highest Covid-19 transmission rates among all age groups, with 178 cases detected per 100,000 people.
On December 14, 27 people at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham had either been admitted for Covid-19 or tested positive for Covid-19 after being admitted for another reason. As of December 13, 183 Whatcom County residents had died from the virus, which makes up 1 percent of total deaths from all cases.
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