UWDEOHS COVID-19 adds to burden of pollution, poverty in King County

King County neighborhoods with high levels of air pollution also have the highest rates of COVID-19, research from the University of Washington shows. These neighborhoods mostly clustered in South King County – are also poorer, have more people of color and non-English speakers, and have lower testing rates than the county average, Researchers don't think that air pollution causes COViD-19, but rather, that the higher exposure to air pollution in low-income communities of color is replicated in the pattern of COvID-19 infections, “The data confirm what many of us in public health suspected as this began to roll out - that this virus is exacerbating other inequities," says lead researcher Stephanie Farquhar, professor in the UW School of Public Health Similar patterns have been seen elsewhere in the U.S., but this is the first study to examine the overlapping risks at the neighborhood level (by census tract) in King County, Washington, q a Vooainvil ie Cottage take Further complicating the combined impact of high air pollution and COVID-19 rates is that the areas with the highest rates of COVID-19 also had lower than average testing rates for the virus, h Kirkland B~""~ BELLEVUE S SamImani shSEAn LE SkI: ill.J,_if I ~gFortunately, since the study began,King County has been locating more free and mobile testing centers in the areas with high CC)VID-19 rates, and the rates appear to be coming down, Testing rates in census tracts LUith over 100/o positiuity as Of 7-12-20. Auerage testing rate uas 94.8 tests/1000 residents. At?ave…

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Call to order – Roll Call – Quorum Established – Land Acknowledgement We would like to acknowledge that our Agency operates in four present-day counties, which are the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people, past and present. This acknowledgement does not take the place of authentic relationships with indigenous communities in our jurisdiction and [...]