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 our recent virtual town hall, available appointments at the newly relocated mass vaccination site in Auburn, the expansion of COVID vaccine eligibility to Phase 1B Tiers 3 and 4, small business grants, a vaccine info-session in Korean, health updates, and more.


Washington Trivia

A Miami Marlins baseball player was born in Federal Way. Who is he?

(Answer is at the bottom).




79 years ago today

It was 79 years ago today that the first Japanese Americans were forced from their communities into concentration camps. At the time more than 9,600 Japanese Americans were proud to call King County home—a total of 14,400 lived in Washington. Almost 1,500 never came back home.

By the war’s end, nearly 13,000 Washingtonians—120,000 Americans in total—had been robbed of their liberty and forced to live, raise children, and care for elders while imprisoned by barbed wire fences and armed guards. At this incomparable moment in our nation’s history, let us pause to remember this atrocity.




Future of Transit Virtual Town Hall

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to host a virtual town hall, not only to talk about the future of transit, but most importantly to provide an opportunity for South King County community leaders and residents to engage in a dialogue with our invited speakers, Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff and King County Metro General Manager Terry White.

I firmly believe that you can't understand a region without understanding its public transportation system. Aside from providing an overview of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the transit system, Peter and Terry shared information on the evolving modes of transportation and addressed questions and concerns that were raised by the community. You can watch the recorded version of the forum on my Facebook page.



With Terry White and Peter Rogoff



With South King County community members


Auburn GSA vaccination site relocates to provide expanded access in South King County

King County has relocated its Auburn community vaccination site from the General Services Administration Complex to the Outlet Collection shopping center, in large part due to a partnership with Boeing, which has contributed to the clinic’s infrastructure. The larger facility will allow for six times the appointment capacity of the previous site.

Vaccination appointments are still available this week at this new location (1101 Supermall Way, Suite 1333). Eligible residents can register at Public Health’s vaccine website.


Washington moves to Phase 1B Tiers 3 and 4 of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan

Tomorrow, March 31st, the state will expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to Phase 1B Tiers 3 and 4, which include the following:

• Anyone 60 and older
• People 16 years or older with two or more co-morbidities or underlying conditions
• People, staff, and volunteers in certain congregate living settings (correctional facilities, group homes for people with disabilities, settings where people experiencing homelessness live or access services)
• High-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings (restaurants, food services, construction, and manufacturing)



Co-morbidities refer to the simultaneous presence of two or more medical conditions in a patient. Visit the CDC’s website for a list of medical conditions that increase risk for severe illness from the COVID-19 virus.


Small Business Grants

Working Washington Grant: Round 4
The Washington Department of Commerce is now accepting applications for their Working Washington Grant to support eligible small businesses. The application portal is open until 5:00 PM, April 9th. For technical assistance in navigating the application portal, please call 855-602-2722 or email commercegrants@submittable.com.

Ready for Business Fund
The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) and Comcast Washington are now accepting applicants for their Ready for Business Fund, which aims to support small businesses in Washington established prior to March 2, 2020. Grant amount is $2,500 per selected business and the deadline to submit application is on April 9th.


Korean COVID-19 Vaccine Information Session

Public Health - Seattle and King County (PHSKC), in partnership with the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA), will host a training session in Korean tomorrow, March 31st at 5:30 PM, to share more information and answer common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, visit this Facebook page.




Weekly COVID-19 News: Vaccine effects during pregnancy, trials for young children

A recently published study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has found two COVID-19 mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) vaccines to be highly effective in generating antibodies in pregnant and lactating people, with levels of immunity and reactions to the vaccines comparable to vaccinated non-pregnant people. The study also showed that immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 disease was transferred to neonates (newborn children) through maternal placenta and breastmilk.

On March 23rd, the CDC stated although data on COVID-19 vaccine safety for pregnant people are limited, there is no current evidence that the antibodies formed from COVID-19 vaccinations adversely affect pregnancy.

Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, the three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for distribution in the U.S., are already running trials for adolescents ages 12-15 years. Pfizer-BioNTech (Pfizer) began trials for young children ages 6 months to 11 years. Phase I will determine the dosage that should be given to each of three age groups as they are rolled out, starting with children ages 5 to 11 years, then 2 to 4 years, and lastly 6 months to 2 years. Moderna also began its trials for young children ages 6 months to 11 years. Pfizer and Moderna anticipate results on this age group to be available by summer. People younger than 18 years comprise an estimated 23% of the U.S. population or about 73 million people.


King County COVID Vaccination Update

As of today, there were 678,373 first dose and 389,064 second dose vaccines administered among King County residents, bringing the total of all administered doses to 1,049,882. For more information, visit the King County COVID Vaccination Dashboard here.



Vaccine Locator: To find COVID-19 vaccine appointments, visit Vaccine Locator.

For eligible South King County residents: Public Health – Seattle and King County has high-volume vaccinations sites in Auburn and Kent. Register here.

Register 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 veterans: Call 1-800-698-2411 and press 8 for COVID information or visit www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine.

For more information, visit Getting vaccinated in King County.


King County Case Update
Today, Seattle – King County Public Health reported 159 new cases, bringing the total in King County to 87,726. In addition, Public Health reported 1 new death, bringing the total in the county to 1,462.









Stay In. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember




Washington trivia answer:

Jeff John Brigham is a professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior to playing for the Marlins, Jeff was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB draft. He then made his professional debut with the Ogden Raptors and played for the Great Lakes Loons and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2015.

Jeff was born in Federal Way, graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Auburn, and played college baseball at the University of Washington.



Compiled by Cyndee Navarro of my office.