Kate Walters
Reporter
About
Kate Walters is a reporter covering Covid-19 and the many ways the pandemic has impacted our lives. She's covered personal experiences of community members, state and local policies, affects on the healthcare system, and more. In the past, Kate has reported on homelessness for KUOW, as well as general assignment stories ranging from city hall politics to sea stars. Originally from Australia, Kate studied journalism at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). She started her career in public radio at WXXI in Rochester, NY.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Stories
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Health
Health officials say it is time to mask up
If you’ve been a little lax with masking over the past few months, health officials in Washington state are urging a change in behavior. Dozens of hospital leaders and county health officers from around the state are urging people to once again become diligent about masking in public indoor spaces.
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Health
Health officials urge caution as holidays near
Holiday season is right around the corner, the third since the Covid-19 pandemic began. And, once again, health officials are nervous about how the health care system will fare as people gather and viruses spread.
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Health
Washington's children's hospitals 'in crisis mode' amid surge of respiratory viruses
A surge in RSV, a contagious respiratory virus, is straining pediatric hospitals across Washington state. As flu cases also begin to rise, and hospital officials look towards another potential Covid-19 wave, they’re sounding the alarm about hospital capacity for the state’s youngest patients. “We are in crisis mode,” said Dr. Tony Woodward, medical director of emergency medicine at Seattle Children’s hospital during a media briefing Monday. “And bordering, if not already in, disaster mode in our emergency departments across the state.”
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Washington's lingering pandemic emergency orders are expiring
After more than two and a half years, the final lingering emergency declarations in Washington state are set to expire, marking a major milestone in the state’s pandemic battle.
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Health
The calm before the storm? What Covid-19 might look like this fall and winter
By now, this ebb and flow of the pandemic is familiar: Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths rise; they peak, they fall, and then there’s a lull. Public health officials worry the colder months will bring a resurgence in Covid-19 infections in King County and the surrounding region.
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Health
The flu is slated for a 2022-23 comeback. Are you ready?
Public health officials in Washington state continue to urge people to get their vaccine shots as they brace for another possible resurgence of Covid-19 and the flu this fall and winter.
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Health
People experiencing homelessness may lose decades of life
People experiencing homelessness in King County may die decades earlier than their peers in the broader community. That's one takeaway from a recent report from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office on some of the deaths that have occurred among people living unhoused over the past decade.
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Education
Seattle kids head back to school as educators ponder contract vote
Seattle public school kids headed back to class Wednesday morning. The start of school is a week later than expected and comes after educators suspended their strike Tuesday afternoon.
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Education
Seattle teachers strike hits day 5, but end may be in sight
Seattle kids will be out of school for a fifth day Tuesday amid an ongoing teacher strike, but the end may be in sight.
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Health
What to expect when you're expecting a booster shot
KUOW Reporter Kate Walters joins Soundside to get us up to speed on the new vaccine boosters that target Omicron variants.