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Kate Walters

Reporter

About

Kate is a reporter at KUOW covering the homelessness crisis and related issues.

Originally from Australia, Kate studied journalism at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology before coming to work in public radio.

Kate began her career as a reporter with WXXI Public Radio in Rochester, NY, where she worked as part of a Local Journalism Center called the Innovation Trail.

At KUOW, she started as a producer on The Record before joining the news desk.

Stories

  • caption: A sign alerts guests that proof of vaccination will be required at the Octopus Bar in Wallingford.

    King County vaccine verification requirements start Monday. Here’s what to know

    If you plan to go out to a restaurant in King County next week, you’ll need to prove that you’re fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or have recently tested negative for the virus, to get in. And it’s not just restaurants. Come Monday, October 25, anyone 12 or older will have to show their vaccine or test status to do a large number of activities in the county.

  • caption: Pharmacy manager Srawan K Thodupunoori draws out individual doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Monday, March 22, 2021, for employee Covid-19 vaccinations at the Safeway Distribution Center in Auburn.
    KUOW Newsroom

    Most healthcare workers are vaccinated, but mandate fallout could still lead to cuts in services

    Monday marked the deadline for healthcare workers and many others in Washington state to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19, or risk losing their job under the state mandate. Starting Tuesday, those who are unvaccinated will not be able to go to work as normal. The exception is those who have been granted an exemption for a genuine medical or religious reason and had accommodations made by their employer.

  • caption: Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

    When hospitals are overwhelmed and out of options, they all call the same number

    Before the most recent Covid surge, many healthcare facilities were already at capacity. The influx of patients driven by the delta variant kicked things up a notch, meaning patients of all kinds are finding it difficult to get a bed. Over the past few months that’s led to hundreds of patients being shuffled around the state in order to receive care, and prevent facilities from hitting crisis levels like those seen in other places.

  • caption: Adam Pollard, a registered nurse with HealthPoint, draws out individual doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday, January 7, 2021, at a drive-thru vaccine clinic for healthcare workers in Renton.

    Hospital leaders cautiously optimistic as Washington's vaccine mandate deadline nears

    This week marks the deadline for many Washington workers subject to the state’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate to complete their vaccinations, if they haven’t already, or risk losing their jobs later this month. Governor Jay Inslee’s mandate requires workers to be fully vaccinated by October 18th, making Monday the last day to finish a two-dose series, or get the one dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and be in compliance. Roughly 400,000 workers in the healthcare sector are subject to the vaccine mandate, according to estimates from the Governor’s office.

  • caption: At Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, non-urgent surgeries are being cancelled and nurses who don't normally work with patients are being prepared to return to the front lines. The actions come as COVID-19 cases continue to spike.

    Washington state Covid-19 hospitalizations still at ‘sobering’ levels

    Covid-19 hospitalizations remain at high levels in Washington state, straining the health care system. That’s according to hospital leaders who addressed reporters at a Monday briefing. There were 1,673 Covid-19 patients in hospitals around the state as of Monday, compared to 1,674 patients last week, officials said. “Things are still very bad,” said Taya Briley, executive vice president of the Washington State Hospital Association.

  • Seattle Now logo
    Seattle Now

    Inside pandemic school

    School is back in session. It's a bit exciting, a bit scary, and a lot weird. Today we go inside the first day of school at Mount View Elementary School in White Center to see what pandemic school looks like in action.

  • caption: Safia Hussein, center, hugs her sons, 4th-grade student Anwaar Boneya, left, and 2nd-grade student Sabir Boneya, right, before they head into their first day of school at Wing Luke Elementary School on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, along Kenyon Street in Seattle. "It's a little bit scary because of Covid," said Hussein. "But they have to go."

    Students are back in classrooms at Wing Luke Elementary

    Seattle Public Schools are open for full-time, in-person learning for the first time in more than a year. At Wing Luke Elementary, kids lined up outside the building to avoid gathering indoors. A table with masks and hand sanitizer stood in front of the entrance to the school, along with a sign about how to protect one another form Covid-19.