On July 1st, in his weekly press briefing, Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin provided an update on COVID-19 trends and the latest on COVID-19 vaccination efforts, as well as the health impacts of climate change following the recent heatwave.

Update on COVID-19:

“I’m gratified our situation is continuing to improve, thanks to vaccination. Thank you to everyone who’s taken advantage of the vaccine to protect yourself and our community. But even though we’re reopening, the outbreak is not over. This is a newly emerged virus that will continue to evolve and challenge us and we should expect to see an increase in cases among the unvaccinated as more dangerous variants spread. Should the course of the outbreak change in the future, we should be prepared for guidance also changing. We continue to depend on one another for community protection.”

Dr. Jeff duchin

Commentary on climate change as a health emergency:

“Climate change is a recognized health emergency; it’s not a controversial topic. Greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming and creating a major threat to human health and wellbeing. I’m encouraging everyone to do what you can to learn about this real risk of climate change and what you can do as an individual to help us manage the consequences we are destined to experience, but also more importantly for the sake of our children and future generations.”

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 July 1st, 2021