We could fix one outbreak right now – vaccinate the homeless against Hepatitis A and provide them adequate bathroom facilities.

Providing the homeless with homes and health care will also help all of us combat both Hepatitis A and Coronavirus – think about it.

The Seattle Times reports that a local outbreak over the last several months has showed their concerns were justified. More than 100 people have been sickened by hepatitis A in King County since the beginning of January, compared with annual totals of five to 16 cases over the last decade, according to Public Health — Seattle & King County. Nearly 50% have been among people experiencing homelessness.

Of 30 local cases in March, 14 were from people who were homeless in the Ballard area, according to Public Health director Patty Hayes.

Officials are now confronting two outbreaks at once: A novel coronavirus pandemic that has proven deadly, as well as hepatitis A, a highly infectious liver disease transmitted through fecal matter that disproportionately harms people who are homeless. And advocates say the city has not done enough to prevent either in its unsheltered homeless communities.