Open to all: Health insurance open enrollment starts Nov. 1 with expanded access

October 30, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

Open enrollment for health insurance starts Nov 1, and now everyone who lives in Washington State can purchase health and dental insurance – regardless of their immigration status.

Ask Miss Rona: Updated COVID-19 Vaccines

October 5, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

Ask Miss Rona is a Q&A series started on Public Health’s Instagram to respond to community questions related to COVID-19. Questions from the public and are answered by experts at Public Health. Check out our Instagram at @kcpubhealth for more questions answered by Miss Rona.

TB EVALUATION AT KENTRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

September 26, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Public Health – Seattle & King County is following up on the report of a Kentridge High School community member who was diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB). Public Health is working with Kent School District officials to define the extent of any potential TB exposures, conduct evaluations for those exposed, and provide guidance and information to the school communities affected.

Regional healthcare organizations adopt guidelines for masking as respiratory virus season approaches

September 26, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Public Health – Seattle & King County supports the data-informed decision by healthcare organizations to require masking in their facilities when thresholds for increased respiratory illness activity are reached. Read more below.

New case of Hantavirus reported in King County

August 28, 2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

Hantavirus can cause a rare but deadly disease called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). In Washington state, hantavirus is spread by deer mice.

Public Health is currently investigating a case in a teenage King County resident. This person was hospitalized in early August and is now recovering. The patient reported being exposed to a mouse infestation at his house in Issaquah and also bitten by a rodent in the woods in a residential area in Issaquah, Washington.

An update on COVID-19: Q&A with Dr. Eric Chow, Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology

August 23, 2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

A collage of images showing a young man doing a COVID self-test, a vaccinated woman, and a woman holding a HEPA air filter.

You may have heard reports recently of increases in cases of COVID-19 in many parts of the U.S. We talked with Public Health’s Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Dr. Eric Chow, about what’s happening with COVID-19 in King County right now.