Omicron on the way out? Bellingham hospital reports fewest COVID patients since Jan. 1

St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham reported its smallest daily COVID-19 patient count since the first of the year on Wednesday, Feb. 9 — another positive sign as Whatcom County struggles to emerge from the omicron surge.

The hospital reported a daily snapshot of 40 patients currently being treated for COVID-related symptoms on Wednesday. That is down six from Tuesday’s report. The last time the hospital reported 40 or fewer patients was when it had 39 on Jan. 1.

In the 38 days since then, the hospital has averaged nearly 56 patients per day, analysis by The Bellingham Herald found, including a pandemic record 79 patients on Jan. 18. As of Monday, Feb. 7, the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard reported Whatcom County’s weekly COVID-related hospitalization rate stood at 27.2 patients per 100,000 residents for the most recently completed epidemiological data from Jan. 19 to Jan. 25. Incomplete data, which will likely change as more data becomes available, shows that rate could drop as low as 15.4 over the next two weeks.