Whatcom’s daily COVID case average drops by 80% in February, but deaths remain high

Whatcom County saw a nearly 80% decrease in its daily average of new COVID-19 cases reported and more than a 50% reduction in reported COVID-related hospitalizations during the month of February, but the number of COVID-related deaths remained unchanged from January.

The Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard reported 33 COVID-related deaths in Whatcom County in the month of February, which matched the pandemic record the county saw in January. The next highest monthly total was 27 recorded in October 2021. Whatcom’s pandemic total of cases increased by 2,210 total cases (confirmed and probable combined) in February, or approximately 93.5 new cases per day. That is down from January’s average of 432.7 new cases per day during the omicron surge. But it was still the second-highest daily average Whatcom has seen during the pandemic.

COVID-related hospitalizations also were down, with 123 reported in February, which was the third-highest of the pandemic but less than half the 253 reported in January. “While cases and hospitalizations have thankfully declined from their Omicron peaks, we are still seeing numbers comparable to the peak of the Delta surge,” the Whatcom County Health Department said in its weekly update on Friday, Feb. 25. “The health department continues to encourage people to comply with the state indoor mask mandate until it is lifted on (March 12).”