COVID cases in south King County are climbing at a greater rate than the rest of King County.
South King County is still being hit the hardest, as communities of color carry a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases.
On Friday the positivity rate in Auburn jumped to 30%, over the last 14 days, compared to 12.5% in King County as a whole.
The positivity rate in Kent climbed to 23.7% , 23.1% in Federal Way, 18.1% in Renton, and 16.5% in Tukwila.
Matias Valenzuela, the Equity Director for Public Health: Seattle & King County says many residents in south King County are essential workers who are unable to work from home.
“Many people of color live in large or multi-generational households which make it harder to limit exposure within households,” said Valenzuela. “They are also overrepresented among essential workers who have to be at jobsites and commute during the pandemic.”
King County is working to support communities of color, making sure employees know they have rights that would allow them to quarantine and encouraging employers to see the greater good of stopping the spread.
Public Health said everyone can work together by staying home if they can to lower the prevalence of COVID in the community.
“When there are things that are optional that people don’t have to do, just when we think about people who don’t have a choice and do have to live in certain household settings or do have to go to work, that means greater responsibility for other people to do their part,” Valenzuela said.
Cox Media Group
