Seattle recently became the first US city to reach a 70 percent vaccination rate for residents 12 and older. In the weeks since passing that vital milestone, King County has continued to make great strides towards ensuring the health of its residents. As of the end of July, 75 percent of King County residents over 12 are fully vaccinated and 80 percent have received one of their two shots. With the help of these rising immunizations, Seattle has continued to lead the way in Washington's safe reopening efforts. Seattle's Mayor Jenny A. Durkan has even urged vaccinated individuals to get out and support local businesses in a recent statement on Seattle's COVID-19 success. But as new research continues to advance our understanding of COVID-19, it's quickly becoming clear that higher vaccination rates will be critical.
Early in the pandemic, 70 percent vaccination was the goal set for herd immunity, and with that number reached, many people are eager to get back to normal. However, over the previous months of vaccine rollouts, Dr. Anthony Fauci has steadily revised that number to 90 percent or higher. Due to the continuing spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, the CDC recently began recommending that people in counties with high COVID-19 transmission rates return to practice masking guidelines. With Seattle's businesses reopening under the looming shadow of new variants, there's plenty of work yet to do in the fight against COVID-19.
From the start of the pandemic, Washington distinguished itself with a rapid and definitive response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite being ground zero for the first outbreak of the virus, Washington has continued to stay on the cutting edge of the COVID-19 fight and vaccine rollout. For a while it was neck-in-neck between Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose in terms of who would break the milestone first. But ultimately, Seattle was the first city in the nation to reach that 70 percent vaccination rate.
While Seattle's vaccination rate continues to climb, immunizations have lagged in certain King County communities. Vaccine hesitancy remains an issue across the entire state. Whether due to misinformation about the vaccine's side effects and effectiveness, political reasons, or a cultural distrust of government health programs, the reasons a person chooses not to get the vaccine may vary widely. In the end, vaccination is a personal choice--but one with wide-reaching community consequences.
Med-X is committed to providing the tools, information, and opportunities that Washington and Oregon residents need to feel empowered about their vaccination options. We've staffed a large-scale drive-in COVID-19 testing facility throughout the pandemic so concerned Washingtonians can quickly determine whether they've tested positive for the disease. We also set up vaccination sites right beside our testing sites so that anyone concerned about COVID-19 can get tested or vaccinated all in one place.
Because specific communities tend to experience more severe symptoms of COVID-19 as well as lower vaccination rates, we're striving to provide vaccine access where it's needed most. Our testing and vaccination sites in Asian Pacific American Community Centers in King County are a part of this outreach effort. We strongly believe that every person who wants a vaccine should have the ability to get one and never be held back by inconvenience or a lack of information. By making testing and vaccines available to everyone, Seattle's vaccination rates can continue to rise.
The growing prevalence of the Delta variant has made it apparent that our state's vaccination efforts are far from over. By ensuring as many Washingtonians are vaccinated as possible, the chances of a new vaccine-resistant variant continue to go down. With such vital stakes, Med-X is proud to continue serving Washington's residents with our vaccination and testing teams. We've expanded our drive-in testing locations to Pierce County and partnered with schools to host in-school vaccination clinics to ensure students can get their shots right after class. We know that having the right tools and staffing is crucial to keeping our communities healthy and disease-free. By making it easy for students and vulnerable populations to get their shots, we hope to help Washington reach even further milestones of success.
Even with exciting victories in the battle against COVID-19, we believe in remaining vigilant to keep our families and loved ones safe. If you'd like to hear more about our testing services or vaccination partnerships, contact Med-X today at 971-314-5170 or paula@myteammedicalstaffing.com.