On June 18th, in his weekly press briefing, Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin on COVID-19 trends and the latest on COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

We are in a much better place today than at any time since the pandemic started thanks to these highly effective vaccines and thanks to everyone who’s come to be vaccinated. That’s the way we will return to healthier lives and a healthier economy.

But it’s important to understand that COVID isn’t over. COVID-19 has been suppressed but not eliminated. More contagious variants are spreading and we need to take them seriously.

I recommend going forward with both optimism and caution, and humility about predicting the future. We continue to depend on one another for protection. The bottom line remains that the more people who are vaccinated the less COVID-19 will circulate and the safer we will all be. – Dr. Jeff Duchin

For more on COVID-19 data trends, visit our data dashboards: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data.aspx

For more on COVID-19 vaccine planning in King County: http://www.kingcounty.gov/covid/vaccine

Originally posted May 18, 2021