WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – The Whatcom County Health Department is echoing the governor and the CDC in advising everyone to wear masks indoors in public places regardless of vaccination status.
The health department also recommends everyone wear masks in crowded outdoor settings due to the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant.
The number of delta cases in Whatcom County took a big jump from one to 11 in a week.
The department points out that those numbers are actually from specimens collected a month ago so the variant is likely much more prevalent than the count reflects.
While vaccination offers protection against the delta variant, breakthrough cases are reported and the CDC now says people with breakthrough cases can spread the virus.
That makes masking more important to limit its spread.