Centering community voices: Reflections on King County’s pandemic response

September 1, 2021.Reading time 20 minutes.

Photo of the authors, Tara Lawal and Jodilyn Owen, of Rainier Valley Midwives. The woman on the left is dark skinned, with glasses on her head, and is embracing another woman with lighter skin and glasses that is wearing a head wrap. The woman on the right is cradling a tiny little baby that is wrapped in purple fabric.

When COVID-19 hit our region last year, we saw immediately just how dangerous it could be for our clients. Rainier Valley Midwives works with pregnant people and their families to improve parent and infant health outcomes in the Seattle area.

What we need is action: Reflections on King County’s pandemic response

August 20, 2021.Reading time 18 minutes.

“There’s no excuse to not make a change,” shares Bereket Kiros, a community member who’s been working with King County’s Pandemic and Racism Community Advisory Group. This is his reflection of the past year.

NEW COMIC: Delta Days

August 17, 2021.Reading time 12 minutes.

What’s the deal with Delta?
“Delta Days” is a comic by Meredith Li-Vollmer about the variant and our collective burn-out. See full comic here or at thestranger.com.

With Delta, masking up is critical – and it’s time to improve the quality and the fit

August 10, 2021.Reading time 14 minutes.

We will most likely be dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic for a while longer. So, it’s a good time to assess your mask supply. There’s a good chance it’s in need of a refresh! Here are reminders on what to look for in a high quality mask and when to consider wearing a mask like an N95 or KN95.

Video: Dr. Jeff Duchin’s COVID-19 press briefing – August 5, 2021

August 6, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

This virus is significantly nastier than previous COVID-19 viruses, and it’s challenging us in new ways. The bottom line: vaccines offer excellent protection against hospitalization and death from Delta. But if you aren’t vaccinated, you are more likely to be infected, hospitalized or die from COVID-19.

Three recent COVID-19 outbreaks – and what the data says about how to prevent a larger surge in cases

August 5, 2021.Reading time 13 minutes.

Illustrative graphic of people of all different skin colors and hair types in a crowd wearing masks

Many recent outbreaks are occurring in indoor workplaces and social events among people who were not wearing masks and where ventilation was poor. In this blog, we take a closer look at three recent, notable outbreaks.