(reverent orchestral music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS 9 newsroom.

For years, Vashon Island has made international news for being a place where parents have, in big percentages, opted out of giving their kids the state's required vaccines.

But now, Vashon Island has some of the highest COVID vaccine rates in King County.

Critics have pointed out that Vashon is a small, increasingly wealthy, mostly white community where people could get the vaccine without facing some of the health equity hurdles that exist elsewhere in King County.

As of mid-March, the percentage of vaccinated seniors on Vashon compared to other parts of King County was higher by as much as 41%.

Medical professionals and public health officials explain the seemingly conflicted picture in a number of ways, including a vaccination rate that was already rising on Vashon over the past six years and our increased willingness to receive immunizations during outbreaks of contagious diseases.

I'm Starla Sampaco.

Find nonprofit Northwest news every day on crosscut.com.

(reverent orchestral music)