King County Asks For Vigilance As COVID-19 Cases Rise

SEATTLE (AP) — After two COVID-19 clusters in Washington’s most populous county this week, a public health official said Friday people need to remain vigilant.

KING-TV reports King County is averaging 119 cases a day in the past week which is up 40% from the previous week, according to Dr. Jeff Duchin, head of Public Health – Seattle & King County.

University of Washington officials said Saturday that 22 additional COVID-19 cases have been confirmed among nearly a dozen sorority and fraternity organizations in Seattle for a total of 139 cases.

An outbreak also was reported this week at the Salish Lodge and Spa in Snoqualmie, where at least 25 people have tested positive.

Since March, there have been 22,560 cases, 2,378 hospitalizations and 758 deaths in King County.

As numbers trend up again, it’s important to keep wearing masks and practice social distancing because the possibility of even an average flu season compounding with coronavirus is potentially a huge threat to the healthcare system, Duchin said.