Whatcom County COVID-19 Cases On The Rise, Risk Remains High

The number of COVID-19 cases in Whatcom County is not trending in the right direction. Whatcom County has seen an increase of new cases over the last two weeks, defying a downward trend in new COVID-19 cases statewide. It’s more important than ever to continue to practice prevention behaviors as the risk of COVID-19 transmission remains high.

According to a report released earlier this week by the Washington State Department of Health, COVID-19 activity is decreasing.The report also makes clear that while there is a decline in case counts throughout the state, activity varies from county to county.

Whatcom County continues to experience increasing positive cases of COVID-19. In the most recent two-week stretch, measured from September 8 through September 19, COVID-19 positive cases increased by nearly 115 – moving up from 1150 to 1264. Data for the most recent days are considered preliminary and not yet complete.

“Our cases are trending the wrong direction,” said Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department. “For the sake of our friends, neighbors and co-workers, it is vital that we continue to do all we can to prevent and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

The Whatcom County Health Department’s data dashboard and risk assessment dashboard update will be suspended until a data discrepancy in the Washington State Department of Health’s dataset has been corrected. The WCHD’s data dashboard was last updated on Saturday, September 19, and the risk assessment dashboard was last updated on Friday, September 18.

The DOH discovered and announced the error in their dataset on Monday, Sept. 21, which affected the DOH’s COVID-19 data dashboard and COVID-19 risk assessment dashboard. Both dashboards have been suspended since Monday and are expected to come back online this afternoon. Since WCHD uses the state’s dashboard for its data visualizations, WCHD’s dashboards will be suspended as well until the state’s dashboards are back online.

For more information, please visit the Whatcom County Health Department’s COVID-19 resource page or Whatcom Unified Command resources: WhatcomCOVID.com or the Whatcom Unified Command COVID-19 Facebook page.

We acknowledge that Whatcom County is located on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples. They cared for the lands that included what we’d call the Puget Sound region, Vancouver Island and British Columbia since time immemorial. This gives us the great obligation and opportunity to learn how to care for our surrounding areas and all the natural and human resources we require to live. We express our deepest respect and gratitude for our indigenous neighbors, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.