King County Hits 70% Vaccination Target; Mask Mandate Ending Soon

SEATTLE — King County has surpassed the 70 percent threshold for fully vaccinated residents 16 and older, allowing for the indoor mask mandate to lift June 29, officials announced Tuesday. Washington's most populous county is now the nation's largest to reach the milestone, joining Seattle, which became the first major city in the United States to cross the 70 percent mark last week.

"We took big steps toward this milestone by opening our high volume vaccination clinics in areas hardest hit by the virus, partnering with dozens of nonprofits to connect with hard-to-reach communities, and now working with schools and mobile teams to get the vaccine to every King County resident," said King County Executive Dow Constantine. "People across King County have shown what's possible when we work together to keep one another healthy. Now let's finish the task, ensuring that every person in King County can get vaccinated as soon as possible, and defeat this pandemic."

King County reinstated its indoor mask mandate in May, extending the more strict guidelines after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed them for fully vaccinated people. Dr. Jeff Duchin, the county's health officer, said the mandate would lift after King County hit the 70 percent mark.

Since May 20, Public Health - Seattle & King County notes:

• An additional 170,000 people age 16 and older completed their vaccine series and another 130,000 first doses were administered to people of all ages, including second doses to adolescents under 16 years of age.
• The 14-day COVID-19 case rate in King County dropped 66%, from 133 cases per 100,000 residents on May 20, to 45 cases per 100,000 residents on June 11.
• The 7-day COVID-19 hospitalization rate dropped 70%, from 3.3 hospitalized cases per 100,000 residents on May 20, to 1 hospitalized case per 100,000 residents on June 11.

On Tuesday, Duchin said his mask directive would expire in two weeks, on June 29, ensuring enough time for the most recently vaccinated people to develop full immunity. Washington's statewide guidance continues to recommend indoor mask use for unvaccinated people. Duchin also noted that some disparities in vaccination rates continue, which remain below 70 percent in some areas.

“We are in a much better place today, but the course of the COVID-19 outbreak remains unpredictable and we continue to depend on one another for community protection, including through vaccination as well as mask wearing," Duchin said. "People who are unvaccinated are at increased risk for COVID-19 along with people who do not respond to vaccine because they are immunocompromised due to underlying medical conditions. The best protection for both individuals and the community as a whole will be through more of us continuing to be vaccinated. It will be especially important for unvaccinated people to continue to wear masks as more infectious COVID-19 variants continue to emerge globally and spread locally."

While leading the nation, King County's overall vaccination rates are also considerably ahead of its closest neighbors. The state's dashboard shows Pierce County's full vaccination rate at 47.1 percent and Snohomish County's at 57.3 percent. On the state level, more than 57 percent of those 16 and older are fully vaccinated, and more than 67 percent have at least one dose, according to the Department of Health's latest data. If the state can improve the latter metric to 70 percent before June 30, it will reopen early.

Related: Washington Edges Closer To Reopening Target