A tale of two pandemics: Covid rates vary wildly across King County

On a chilly but sunny day in early December, a Safeway parking lot in SeaTac was full of shoppers.

Alicia Sánchez was here grocery shopping with her granddaughter. When we asked if she knew anyone who has had Covid, she said: Me, I had Covid.

“Yo y mi familia salimos todos positivos,” she said.

She and her whole family tested positive. One of Sánchez’s children got it at the warehouse where he works and unwittingly brought it into her home. She and the three family members she lives with got sick.

The coronavirus continues to surge throughout King County, but the stats look different depending on location. In parts of south King County, Covid rates are seven or eight times higher than parts of north Seattle and the Eastside.