King County will spend $7 million to create two high-volume COVID-19 community vaccination sites, plus multiple mobile teams to serve people at the highest risk of severe illness and death from the virus.

That group of high-risk people, classified by the state Department of Health as group B-1 for a phase of vaccinations, includes people 70 and older, anyone 50 and over who live in multi-generational households, and high-risk critical workers or older such as teachers, grocery store workers, and transit operators. They will be emphasized in the second phase of a statewide vaccine plan that began in December for at-risk healthcare workers, first-responders and long-term care facility residents and employees.

County officials said the vaccination sites, which were announced in January by County Executive Dow Constantine, eventually will be open to all of the public as more vaccine supplies become available.

Anyone who is experiencing COVID-like symptoms or has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 is urged by the Seattle-King County Public Health Department to avoid contact with others and get tested immediately.

COVID testing sites have been opened throughout King County, including locations in Federal Way, Enumclaw, Des Moines and Auburn. More information is available from the Seattle-King County Public Health Department at www.kingcounty.gov/covid/sites.

County Council chairwoman Claudia Balducci said the county is “doing everything we can to make vaccines available” and help residents who “need to get back to work and need their children to get back to school. The key to getting back is widespread vaccination as quickly as possible.”