COVID-19 transmission on rise in households, workplaces, social gatherings in King County

(Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

(SEATTLE) Household, workplace and social gathering COVID-19 transmission is on the rise in King County, according to a review of coronavirus exposure by Public Health—Seattle & King County, The Seattle Times reported Wednesday.

The methods of transmission is a shift from the early stages of the pandemic. At first, transmission was mainly occurring in health-care settings. Now, the proportion of cases linked to households, social gatherings and workplaces has grown larger.

The review by Public Health included data from 37,482 cases between late February and Nov. 20. In 72% of the cases, or 27,172, the health department was able to determine the most likely source of exposure, the Seattle Times reported.

When asked where people had been up to 14 days before their illness, 39% of people said they had spent time in a social or community setting, KING-TV reported. Of those cases, 24% involved friends and family.

Contact inside a household and work as an essential worker were the leading pathways for potential exposure, according to KING-TV.

Public Health's review also found COVID-19 has disproportionately been affecting communities of color. The highest proportion of cases linked to workplaces were from Hispanic and Latino residents, the Seattle Times reported. Black residents of King County had the highest proportion of cases in health-care settings.

King County has now reported 40,522 COVID-19 cases and 864 deaths. A total of 3,030 people have been hospitalized in the county, according to the State of Washington's COVID-19 dashboard.

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