New health department data shows where coronavirus rate is highest in Whatcom County

All areas of Whatcom County have seen confirmed cases of COVD-19, according to new data released by the Whatcom County Health Department Sunday night, May 17, but two rural areas have seen substantially lower incidents of coronavirus.

“What the map does show us is that the virus is present everywhere in our county, and we should all take precautions to protect ourselves and prevent spreading it to others, no matter where we live or work,” the release stated.

Residents who live within the boundaries of the Nooksack Valley and Meridian school districts are seeing fewer than 100 confirmed COVD-19 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the county health department data that was updated Thursday, May 14.

“We prefer to use rates to compare across geographies because they factor in different population sizes and demographics,” the health department said in a release about the new data. “A case count of 30 people is very different in a community of 1,000 people than it is in a community of 50,000. Using a rate helps us assess the differences using a fair comparison between groups.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-health-department-data-shows-where-coronavirus-rate-is-highest-in-whatcom-county/ar-BB14gbCa?ocid=hplocalnews