Official insights from Public Health – Seattle & King County staff
Since March, we in King County have slowed the spread of COVID-19 by staying home and keeping our distance. But did you know we’ve also prevented hundreds of traffic crashes by staying off the roads? Traffic crashes were 37% lower in March and more than 60% lower in April and May than the same time last year, which we’re all glad to see. With King County now in Phase 2 and more vehicles on our roads, we can work together to keep our streets safe. Here’s how:
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Today, we declare that racism is a public health crisis. Public Health – Seattle & King County and all of King County government are committed to implementing a racially equitable response to this crisis, centering on community.
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After what feels like endless rain, meteorologists are predicting a possibility of snow early next week. The forecast is too uncertain to place any wagers on snow, but we’ve got a window of time to get ready for whatever happens. Even small amounts of snow can wreak havoc on our ability to get around and […]
Read MoreEditorial note: This is our third blog post dedicated to explaining data releases about firearm deaths and injuries in King County and Seattle. You can access our firearm injury data products here. Previous posts focused on firearm homicide and firearm suicide. Firearm injuries are a substantial public health issue for our community, causing preventable suffering […]
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Over the past several years, electronic cigarette use has grown in popularity as an alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes. While this switch does protect individuals from the dangers of combustion, vaping and e-cigarette use has other risks – including nicotine dependency and lung injury.
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Watch out, mushroom foragers. Fall rains bring blooms of Amanita phalloides, better known as the death cap mushroom. They are common in Western Washington, and were found recently on the University of Washington Seattle campus. The death cap mushroom has no distinctive odor or taste and resembles other nontoxic varieties. Consumption of the Amanita […]
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