Monkeypox continues to infect about 20 people each week in Washington state
Despite declining case numbers in Washington state, the monkeypox virus, aka MPV, continues to infect at least 20 people a week, according to a new dashboard launched by the state's Health Department.
It's mostly men (97% of cases), people between the ages of 25 and 44, and King County residents who have gotten monkeypox in Washington state. Those same demographic groups have been lining up for MPV vaccines in the largest numbers.
About 3,000 people are fully vaccinated against the virus in Washington, but thousands more started the series of shots and have yet to finish.
The painful rash and illness has hospitalized 15 people in the state, but no one has died from MPV in Washington. King, Pierce and Snohomish counties have seen the most cases so far.
Washington state has recorded a total of 556 cases, so far. A total of 444 of those cases have been in King County, 45 in Pierce, and 27 in Snohomish County.
The vaccine has been most common in King, Pierce, and Spokane counties.
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Paige Browning
Newscaster
Paige hosts midday newscasts and monitors news of significance to the Puget Sound region. She hopped over Washington’s mountains to join KUOW, after hosting news and reporting at Spokane Public Radio since 2011. She began her start in radio while a journalism student at University of Montana, by sharing stories with KUFM. Paige was raised in the mountains and rivers around Spokane. In her spare time she cheers on the Mariners in the summer, and hopes for snow in the winter.
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Dyer Oxley
Online Editor/Producer
Dyer Oxley joined KUOW as an Online Editor/Producer in 2020, handling day-to-day upkeep of the station’s website while providing editorial oversight. He also helms KUOW’s Today So Far newsletter, an insightful daily roundup of what KUOW is reporting ... so far.
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