Spokane native UFC champion Julianna Peña claims the COVID-19 conspiracy “killed us” on the Joe Rogan podcast, frustrating the health district

Spokane native Julianna Peña garnered worldwide attention when she upset Amanda Nunes in December to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title. She made headlines again last week for her COVID-19 comments on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

“I’m a massive conspiracy theorist about this whole thing, and I have been from the start,” Peña said. “I think it’s just a money robbery. That’s – they’re trying to kill us, you know, and that’s ridiculous.”

Rogan quickly responded with “Whoa”.

Rogan has come under fire for questioning COVID-19 vaccines on his popular podcast. Critics say Rogan, a mixed martial arts comedian and commentator, is spreading dangerous misinformation. But this time it was Rogan who questioned someone’s attitude towards the pandemic.

“I don’t think they’re trying to kill us,” Rogan said. “I think there’s a lot of confusion about what works and what doesn’t work.”

Peña told Rogan that she tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020, according to a story by MMA Junkie. She did not disclose whether she was vaccinated, but indicated that she is opposed to mask mandates.

“For me, I don’t put on a mask unless someone asks me,” Peña said. “And then I’m like, ‘This is over. Come on.’ … That’s ridiculous. I’m sick of this. I’m so fed up.”

According to the CDC, people older than 2 years should wear a mask in indoor public places unless they are fully vaccinated. fully vaccinated and in an area of ​​significant or high transmission; or fully vaccinated and with a weakened immune system. Certain states, including Washington, have mask requirements even if you are fully vaccinated.

The CDC says, in general, people outside don’t have to wear a mask. However, in areas with high case numbers, the federal agency recommends wearing a mask in crowded outdoor areas and during activities involving close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

Peña didn’t respond to a message from The Spokesman-Review asking for comment.

Gonzaga basketball great John Stockton is another local who has voiced his views against the grain of public health experts.

The private university recently suspended Stockton’s season tickets to home basketball games because the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame’s point guard failed to comply with the school’s mask requirement.

Spokane Regional Health District spokeswoman Kelli Hawkins said public figures like Peña and Stockton had a bigger platform, but the main threat was the misinformation that existed in the first place.

“They speak of individuals with a louder voice, but the main culprit here is misinformation and that undermines our efforts,” Hawkins said.

She said misinformation causes confusion and distrust. The first step is to understand the information source and its intent.

Helping people understand where to find credible resources and get accurate information about the virus is important for the district, Hawkins said, noting that communicating information quickly but also admitting when is helpful is helpful something is not fully understood.

“We’re learning more about the virus and as we learn more about it, it changes,” Hawkins said. “We’re learning more about it, we’re developing policies and recommendations based on what we know at the time, and as the virus evolves and we learn more, we need to change that.”

As of Friday, more than 74 million people in the United States have been infected with COVID-19 and nearly 880,000 people have died from the virus since the pandemic began, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the Health District, there were 1,192 deaths in Spokane County as of Friday.

Spokane County has consistently had more than 1,000 cases per day as the highly contagious Omicron variant multiplies. A record 1,886 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the county on Jan. 20. This was followed by 1,743 new cases on January 21, 1,607 Monday, 830 Tuesday, 1,309 Wednesday, 1,512 Thursday and 1,551 Friday.

Countless others have been hospitalized and/or experienced “long COVID” or symptoms such as shortness of breath months after infection.

The high case numbers continue to weigh on hospitals, schools and businesses, including in Spokane.