Covid-19 roundup

The number of cases in Whatcom County per 100,000 is up 213 percent over the past 14 days, according to The New York Times. The Times has introduced a web app that allows users to specify the county they live in to find the current local status of the Covid-19 pandemic. To use, go to nyti.ms/2V0AayG. The total number of cases in the county as of November 24 is 2,218 with 63 deaths, according to the Times.

If you’re interested in determining what the risk is of encountering a positive individual in gatherings of various sizes, go to b.gatech.edu/3l7Prsn. A collaborative project between the Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University and others, the calculator shows the risk level that at least one Covid-19 positive individual will be present at an event in a county, given the size of the event. Event size ranges from 10 to 5,000.

In Whatcom County, it estimates there is a 14 percent risk in an event with 20 people in attendance while in King County, an event of the same size presents a risk of 25 percent. In Sweet Grass, Montana, one would face an 80 percent chance of running across an infected person. Keep out of Foster County in North Dakota – you’ll have a 99 percent chance.

Current state and federal guidance strongly recommends that people not travel for Thanksgiving gatherings. Washington state governor Jay Inslee has warned of the strong possibility that hospitals will reach their maximum capacity if the rate of infections doesn’t start to decrease. He has urged residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel and gathering in groups outside their “bubble.” For the latest state guidance, go to coronavirus.wa.gov.