Weekly King County COVID-19 update

King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 09/02/2021 08:25 PM PDT

Masks required at large outdoor gatherings in King County, strongly recommended in other outdoor settings, Public Health Insider blog

King County, like much of the nation, is in the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. Therefore, Public Therefore, Public Health – Seattle & King County is issuing a Local Health Officer Order that requires face masks at any outdoor event with 500 or more people in attendance. This requirement applies to all vaccinated and unvaccinated people, 5 years of age and older.

Centering community voices: Reflections on King County's pandemic response, Public Health Insider blog

When COVID-19 hit our region last year, we saw immediately just how dangerous it could be for our clients. Rainier Valley Midwives works with pregnant people and their families to improve parent and infant health outcomes in the Seattle area.

Breakthrough infections and the risk for vaccinated people, Public Health on Twitter

Twitter thread from Dr. Duchin uses data to explain how the risk of hospitalization for vaccinated people is dramatically less than unvaccinated.

Helpful mask tips video – for children and adults, Public Health on Instagram

New 15-second video on Instagram shows how to check your mask fit.

Video interview: COVID Conversations, Michael & José, Public Health on Instagram

Brothers José and Michael from Des Moines, WA discuss their original skepticism towards the COVID vaccine and why they chose to get vaccinated. Both want to make the safest choice: "Do what's safe for yourself and for other people. Get the vaccine."

Read how the Rainier Valley Midwives played an integral role in the COVID-19 response, Public Health on Facebook

"Now, we were being asked to show up with power. With the county's support, we evolved PARCAG into a muscular, dynamic, community-led organization, with teeth." - Tara & Jodilyn, Rainier Valley Midwives.

Video: How do I protect my kids who are not vaccinated for COVID?, Public Health on Facebook

Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez joins fellow pediatricians to answer questions about the vaccine in the #BetweenUsAboutUs video series from Greater Than COVID.

Web update: FAQ about COVID-19 testing

Updated guidance for who should get tested, where to get tested, when and how to get results, and travel testing options. New answers to questions about testing if I don't have symptoms, types of tests and swabbing methods at King County-operated sites, and the differences between Rapid Antigen tests and PCR tests.

New web page: Back-to-school toolkit

Includes slide decks, videos, and social media materials that can be downloaded and shared. Materials contain information about returning to school, mask rules, mental health messaging, mask fit, and mask clean-up. The toolkit can also be accessed from the Schools and child care webpage.

Translated flyers: Vaccine sites for youth with disabilities

Translations are available in Spanish, Vietnamese, and several other languages on the COVID-19 Vaccination for Children and Teens page (blue box on the right side of the page, third item), and will be posted soon to in-language pages.

King County's COVID-19 Speaker's Bureau

The Speaker's Bureau offers free presentations on topics you want your organization or community to know. Language and accessibility options are available.

Web update: FAQ about COVID-19 testing

Updated guidance for who should get tested, where to get tested, when and how to get results, and travel testing options. New answers to questions about testing if I don't have symptoms, types of tests and swabbing methods at King County-operated sites, and the differences between Rapid Antigen tests and PCR tests.

  • Total positive counts in King County: 137,267 (New counts since last updated: 960 at overall 4.1% of all tests)
    • Confirmed: 129,849 (New counts since last updated: 893)
    • Probable: 7,418 (New counts since last updated: 67)

  • Hospitalizations: 7,365
    • New hospitalizations since yesterday: 23 at 5.4% of all positive cases

  • Deaths due to COVID-19 illness: 1,772
    • New deaths since last updated: 1 at 1.3% of all positive cases

  • All PCR test results: 3,231,813

  • People tested by PCR: 1,356,802

All other COVID-19 dashboards are posted at www.kingcounty.gov/covid/data

View this COVID-19 weekly email alert online