Rural-Urban vaccination divide, vaccination lottery drawing tomorrow, vaccine safety, impact on Latinx community, global vaccine issues, Juneteenth celebrations...

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Banner image showing King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles.

June 14, 2021

woman in busy terminal Photo by Rodrigo Gonzalez on Unsplash

Photo by Rodrigo Gonzalez on Unsplash

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

While we’re rightfully proud that Seattle became the first city to fully vaccinate 70% of eligible residents, Washington state has just been (partially) eclipsed by the progress in Vermont, which is now the first state in the nation to partially vaccinate at least 80% of the population, according to this story in The New York Times.  Of course, our population sizes are vastly different.

There does appear to be a rural – urban divide when it comes to vaccination rates.  King 5 News reported on areas in Puget Sound, some in Pierce County, where fewer than 50% of the residents have had even a single vaccine dose.  And NPR reports that rural communities across the nation are falling behind in vaccination rates. 

In the meantime – as I’ve mentioned in past e-newsletters – while the United States is preparing to reopen, the virus is not letting up in the rest of the world.  What’s new is that both England and Russia have put the brakes on – or postponed – their reopening plans.  See details on this below.

As always, I would like to hear from you. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov. 

All the best and I hope you are staying safe.