News from and about King County… from COVID-19 updates to community news affecting our daily lives.

Dear Friends:

Today’s e-news includes information on a grant for Thomas Jefferson High School, the state’s updated COVID-19 vaccination timeline, CDC’s guidance for fully vaccinated people, King County Elections updates, health updates, and more.


Washington Trivia

An American astronaut, pilot and engineer attended Auburn Senior High School. Who was he?

(Answer is at the bottom).




Thomas Jefferson High School receives a $20,000 grant to support virtual learning resources

Although business as usual includes masks and social distancing, we are still able to support our school districts. This includes a $20,000 grant that I was able to secure for Thomas Jefferson High School, which lent students with virtual learning resources such as iPads, headphones, wi-fi extenders, blue light glasses, webcams and more.



With Thomas Jefferson High School Principal Adrienne Chacon


Washington’s Updated COVID-19 Vaccination Timeline

Last week, the Washington Department of Health updated the COVID-19 vaccination timeline, adding educators and school staff for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and childcare workers to the state’s Phase 1B1 priority group. Additionally, the state has updated its projected timeline for the next priority groups in the coming weeks.



Click the image to expand


Over 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in Washington

As of Monday, March 8th, there have been 2,065,762 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered across the 1,400 provider facilities in Washington, reaching the goal of giving more than 45,000 doses of vaccine a day. Read more in the KING 5 article here.


CDC provides guidance for fully vaccinated people

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has set public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people for COVID-19, highlighting how fully vaccinated people can safely visit with each other or with unvaccinated people in private settings and how they should approach isolation, quarantine, and testing should they develop symptoms that could be related to COVID-19, although the risk is low. Additionally, the CDC continues to recommend that fully vaccinated people continue to wear well-fitted masks, avoid large gatherings, and physically distance themselves from others when out in public.

Who are considered fully vaccinated?
People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine of Johnson and Johnson/Janssen. Read more in the King 5 article here.


King County General Election Highlights

Today, I had the opportunity to host King County Elections in the Government Accountability and Oversight Committee that I chair. In this morning’s meeting, King County Elections Director Julie Wise provided an update on the recent general election, highlighting a record turnout of 87 percent, with 74 percent of the ballots coming from drop boxes, 25 percent sent by mail and 1 percent by email or fax.




Flyers spreading false information about COVID-19 vaccine left in Federal Way neighborhood

Anti-COVID-19 vaccine flyers are being left all over a Federal Way neighborhood near a COVID-19 testing site. The flyers with false information not only have a link to a video that claims wearing mask is a myth, but also false claims that there have been several COVID-19 vaccine-related deaths and injuries. Read more in the KING 5 article here.


'Adopt a Server' Facebook page helps restaurant workers in need amid closures

With the restaurant industry being severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, some community members stepped up and created “Adopt a Restaurant Worker” groups on Facebook. These groups not only aim to provide opportunities to share financial support, but also to connect unemployed workers with future work. Read more in the TODAY article here.


Weekly COVID-19 News: Public Health – Seattle and King County welcomes a third COVID-19 Vaccine



Public Health – Seattle and King County recently celebrated the emergency authorization of a third COVID-19 vaccine in its Public Health Insider article. Although it differs in several ways from the more widely known Pfizer-Bio-NTech and Moderna vaccines, healthcare and public health experts nationwide are excited about Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J) vaccine for the following reasons:

• The J&J vaccine is extremely effective against hospitalization and death in people who are infected with COVID-19.
• The J&J vaccine strongly protects against SEVERE COVID-19 disease.
• The J&J vaccine is a one-shot dosage. You will not need a second appointment.
• The J&J vaccine does not require storage in freezing temperatures so it can be given more easily in various settings.
• The J&J vaccine is an effective tool to help more people get vaccinated sooner.

The CDC offers more details on the J&J Janssen vaccine:

• One shot in the upper arm
• Does not contain eggs, preservatives, or latex
• Viral vector: read here for more details
• Side effects are usually within 1 – 2 days of vaccination and can include: arm pain, redness and swelling, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.


King County COVID Vaccination Update

As of today, there were 426,858 first dose and 241,779 second dose vaccines administered among King County residents, bringing the total of all administered doses to 668,637. For more information, visit the King County COVID Vaccination Dashboard here.



Phase Finder: To assess your eligibility to receive COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the Washington Department of Health Phase Finder web form.

Register by phone: For assistance on registering by phone, call King County Public Health Call Center at 206-477-3977 or Washington COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press # for help with registration by phone.

Other Vaccine Locations: Visit Washington Department of Health’s website or VaccineFinder.org for other vaccine locations in the state. If you have any questions, contact COVID.Vaccine@doh.wa.gov.


King County Case Update
Yesterday, Seattle – King County Public Health reported 93 new cases, bringing the total in King County to 83,196. In addition, Public Health reported 1 new death, bringing the total in the county to 1,416.









Stay In. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember




Washington trivia answer:

Francis “Dick” Scobee was a pilot, engineer and astronaut who was born in 1939 in Cle Elum, Washington. Dick graduated from Auburn Senior High School in 1957 and soon enlisted with the United States Air Force where he became a reciprocating engine mechanic. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Arizona in 1965 and completed several assignments including a combat tour in Vietnam. Upon his return, he attended the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School in California.

Dick was selected for NASA Astronaut Corps in 1978 and served as an instructor pilot for the Shuttle’s 747 carrier aircraft while awaiting his first orbital spaceflight mission. In 1984, he piloted Challenger mission STS-41C, which successfully deployed one satellite and repaired another. Unfortunately, on his next assignment as commander of the Challenger mission STS -51L, a solid rocket booster O-ring seal failure destroyed the shuttle 73 seconds after launch, leading to his and other six crew members’ death.



Compiled by Cyndee Navarro of my office.