The death rate has slowed over the last month, but 37 people in Kent have died from the COVID-19 pandemic, including 26 men and 11 women.

That’s a death rate of 28.5 per 100,000 residents, according to statistics released June 8 by Public Health – Seattle & King County. Fourteen of the deaths were people age 80 or older. Kent has a population of about 129,000.

Death totals from neighboring cities include 36 in Renton, 16 in Auburn and eight in Federal Way. Kent had 23 deaths at the end of April.

A total of 570 have died of COVID-19 in King County, a rate of 25.6 per 100,000 residents. Statewide, the number of deaths hit 1,176 through June 8, according to the state Department of Health.

But after nearly three months of stay-at-home orders and other guidelines targeted at slowing the spread of COVID-19, the gradual reopening of businesses, recreational opportunities and social activities is underway across Kent and King County.

And, while some restrictions have been eased, Public Health officials say it’s important to approach reopening gradually and continue practicing infection control practices to help prevent an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Public Health – Seattle & King County encourages everyone to follow these tips:

• Avoid extremes. Protecting yourself and your community is not an “all or nothing” approach. Continue to make cautious, risk assessment decisions about how you interact.

• Continue to follow safety principles, including frequent handwashing, wearing cloth face coverings in public, staying at least 6 feet from others, and avoiding group gatherings.

• Get tested at the first sign of illness. More information about testing, including free test sites, is available online.

• If you’ve attended protests or other large gatherings in recent weeks, help protect one another and reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Outdoor gatherings are lower risk than indoor gatherings. The larger the gathering, and the longer you’re there, the higher the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19. People who have been at group gatherings should monitor their health for 14 days afterwards. Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested right away, whether they’ve been at a protest or not.

Adhering to these guidelines will help reduce the number of COVID-19 cases across the county and will move the county closer to further reductions in business and activities restrictions as part of the state’s “Safe Start” plan.

Kent by the numbers

Of the 37 deaths from COVID-19 in Kent, 14 were age 80 or older; 10 were 70-79; eight were 60-69; four were 50-59; and one was 40-49, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.

Twenty-two were white, six Asian, six Hispanic, two black and one Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.