‘Nobody wants another summer crushed by COVID-19.’ Here’s where Whatcom stands

Whatcom County stayed put in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “low” COVID-19 community level for a second straight week, but that ranking continues to “hover on the border” between “low” and “medium” risk levels, the Whatcom County Health Department cautioned.

“We can’t predict the future, but our COVID-19 cases may very likely go back up into the medium range, or even yo-yo back and forth for the next several weeks,” the health department said in a news release Friday, May 20. “Nobody wants another summer crushed by COVID-19. The choices you make now can really help us stop the spread of this disease.” The health department reiterated its advice for residents to get tested when they have symptoms or are exposed, stay home if they are sick, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters and wear a high-quality mask if they are indoors, public areas or are at risk of increased serious illness.

As of Monday, May 23, St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported it was treating 13 COVID-related patients — its highest single-day snapshot since it reported treating 14 on May 6. That would give it an average of 9.4 COVID-related patients per day over the past week (May 17-23), or 3.7% of the hospital’s 252 inpatient beds. The hospital averaged 10.4 patients per day a week earlier (May 10-16).