Over 70% of eligible King County residents get COVID vaccine



[ad_1]

SEATTLE – More than 70% of people 12 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

King County Director Dow Constantine announced the milestone on Tuesday. He said more than 1.6 million people in the county, which includes Seattle, have received at least one dose.

Authorities have urged people who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated.

“This is a big milestone and a remarkable achievement, but as Delta’s current push shows, we still have too many eligible and unprotected people,” said Dr Jeff Duchin, chief health officer. public – Seattle & King County. “The full approval of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine by the FDA should give reassurance to anyone who has hesitated to get vaccinated with emergency use clearance.”

On Monday, a universal mask mandate went into effect in Washington for indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced the mask’s expanded tenure last week. It also extended the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate to all K-12 employees, in addition to state college employees and most child care providers and early learning, KING5 reported.

The warrants follow weeks of escalating rates of COVID-19 cases and increasing hospitalizations caused primarily by the delta variant of the coronavirus. Inslee’s office said Washington state recently broke its record for hospitalizations for COVID-19, which was previously set in December.

The new rules also come after Snohomish, Thurston and Pierce counties issued masking guidelines, and King County issued a universal masking recommendation for residents.

The governor’s office is working with state partners to restore an enforcement system, according to a spokesperson.

“The governor’s office and other state partners are working together to restore an enforcement system. There will be more details in the coming days, ”the spokesperson said.

[ad_2]

Source link