King County and City of Seattle announce updates to employee vaccine mandate
In alignment with updated Public Health – Seattle and King County guidance, Executive Dow Constantine and Mayor Bruce Harrell announced today that King County and the City of Seattle will no longer require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment effective today. Throughout the pandemic, King County and the City of Seattle have used the most up-to-date recommendations and expertise from Public Health officials to inform policy decisions to adapt to the conditions and threats from the virus. To keep employees and the community safe and healthy, in mid-2021… Read More
Public Health reflects on lessons learned from COVID-19 response in summary report
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) has published an After-Action Report, summarizing key information from the first two years (January 2020 – January 2022) of PHSKC’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The After-Action Report was created to better understand the efforts undertaken by Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, record the contributions and roles of those who responded, and identify ways to strengthen future responses to public health emergencies. The document captures strengths, lessons learned, and recommendations raised by stakeholders and partners. A summary of the report is available… Read More
Help reduce the spread of airborne illnesses by improving indoor air quality
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider By now you may have heard that we’re experiencing high cases of flu and RSV (a respiratory disease), with young children being hospitalized. With cold weather, we spend more time inside, which increases the potential for another surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the coming months. Diseases like RSV, the flu, and COVID-19 are airborne and spread easily indoors. With that in mind, it’s important to pay attention to indoor air quality. Read more.
Free COVID-19 tests available while supplies last
During the cold and flu season, it’s a good idea to test yourself regularly for COVID-19 whenever you start not feeling well or before visiting groups of people indoors. There are free COVID-19 tests available while supplies last at www.covidtests.gov or sayyescovidhometest.org. Manufacturers now say the tests are good for 12 months.
Compassion fatigue and burnout: What they are and how to recover
The ongoing pandemic and seasonal illnesses, stressful end-of-year work assignments, additional holiday activities – these and other factors can lead to compassion fatigue and burnout. Understanding the cause of compassion fatigue and burnout is essential in protecting yourself from these common conditions. There are numerous techniques and tips for how to prevent this from happening to you. Read more.
Local health care leaders recommend wearing masks indoors
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider Communities across Washington and around the U.S. are experiencing an unprecedented surge in viral respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and COVID-19. Health officers and health care leaders working to improve the health of Washington residents recommend that everyone wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask when around others in indoor spaces to protect against both acquiring and spreading these infections to others. Read more.
Why people over age 50 should get an updated COVID-19 booster before the holidays
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider The cold winter months help COVID-19—along with RSV and flu—to spread more easily. COVID-19 continues to spread and evolve across King County and in the world around us. The chance of having severe disease and needing to visit the hospital is much higher for those over age 50. Read more.
How to help prevent illness and protect those who are most vulnerable
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider Public Health has reported four deaths from complications of the flu in King County, two children and two adults. This is shaping up to be a bad flu season; the positivity rate for flu tests is much higher at this early point in the flu season than we’ve seen in many years, and the volume of cases is increasing rapidly. Everyone six-months-old and older should get a flu shot every year. Find a flu shot clinic near you. Get your flu shot and updated COVID-19 booster now. There’s no… Read More
Ask Miss Rona: Updated COVID-19 Boosters
Ask Miss Rona is a Q&A series on Public Health’s Instagram account to respond to community questions related to different topic areas of COVID-19. Questions about COVID-19 vaccines for babies and young children were submitted last week by King County residents and answered by subject matter experts at Public Health – Seattle & King County. Read more.
Tri-demic? Time to increase protections against surging respiratory viruses
Crossposted from Public Health Insider We’ve been hearing talk of a potential triple threat of viruses or a “tri-demic” this winter – a rise in multiple types of respiratory viruses. We sat down with Dr. Eric Chow, who leads our Communicable Disease and Epidemiology Section, to learn more about what’s happening and what we can do to stay safer. We’ve heard concerns about a potential “tri-demic” this winter – high cases of COVID-19, flu, and RSV. Is this something Public Health is worried about? Yes, both locally and nationally we’re seeing a… Read More
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