Washington governor orders health care workers, state employees to get COVID-19 vaccine

With COVID-19 cases skyrocketing again in many parts of the state and with vaccination rates lagging behind in many parts of the state, Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Monday fully ordered most government employees, as well as private health, long-term care and community service workers to be vaccinated by October 18 as a condition of employment.

Unlike some other states, the regulation doesn’t allow employees to opt for regular COVID-19 tests instead of a vaccination. The Inslee office said a testing program was costly and ineffective.

Inslee announced the new requirement at a press conference at Kaiser Permanente in Seattle. He was joined by Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and King County Executive Dow Constantine, who, according to the governor’s office, should also announce similar vaccination mandates for their employees.

The statewide order applies to anyone employed by any cabinet level agency, including the Department of Social and Health Services, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Veterans Affairs who operate all community facilities and who have lagged staff vaccination rates.

The Inslee arrangement is among the most comprehensive and strict in the country and largely reflects the requirements that have been imposed in California over the past few weeks. Other states with a mandate to vaccinate are New York, Virginia, and Hawaii. Last week, Oregon Governor Kate Brown ordered health care workers to undergo weekly COVID-19 tests beginning September 30th unless they can provide evidence of vaccination.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs and many private employers, including Microsoft, have issued vaccination mandates. The Pentagon is also expected to have similar requirements for military personnel.

However, the Washington State order still leaves large swaths of the public sector untouched, including those employed in public schools, state colleges and universities, the judiciary and legislature of the government, and those employed by separately elected statewide officials how the state treasurer and the public prosecutor are engaged in general. However, Inslee “strongly encourages” that these companies also need vaccines, according to his office.

Several Washington public and private colleges and universities have already announced that returning students, staff and faculty will need to be vaccinated.

Private facilities affected by the governor’s order include hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and residential groups. Some Washington hospitals have already issued vaccination mandates. And in the past few weeks, the Washington State Hospital Association, Washington State Medical Association, and LeadingAge Washington, which represent nonprofit nursing homes and elderly care facilities, have all been calling for mandatory COVID-19 vaccine guidelines.

Inslee, a Democrat, had previously indicated that a vaccination mandate for civil servants was likely. But he hadn’t telegraphed his intention to extend the requirement to private sector health care workers.

The move to require vaccinations comes before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized any of the three COVID-19 vaccines – Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer – although Pfizer will receive that final approval next month could news reports. For now, the three vaccines will be administered through what the FDA calls emergency approval.

Nonetheless, Inslee has sounded the alarm in recent weeks about rising case numbers and hospital admissions as the state enters what is known as a “fifth wave” of the virus and the more contagious Delta variant takes hold.

On August 28, the Washington Department of Health (DOH) announced that an average of 1,500 new COVID-19 cases were reported each day, a dramatic increase from the roughly 350 cases per day in late June and early July. In addition, the DOH reports that COVID-19 transmission has pushed hospital occupancy to its highest level this year.

“The COVID-19 threat continues to evolve as new, more easily transmissible, and aggressive variants become widespread in our state,” said a FAQ document published by the Inslee office. “This security measure is equally important to fighting the spread of COVID in general and across the country, as it will help protect the communities we live in and where we interact before and after our state work hours.”

According to the DOH, around 70 percent of people aged 12 and over in Washington have received at least one dose of vaccine to date. But in several counties, especially east of the Cascades, the vaccination rates are still below 50 percent, in some cases even significantly lower.

Many government employees and health workers have also resisted the vaccination.

For example, more than a third of the workforce in the state’s two psychiatric hospitals, Western State and Eastern State, remain unvaccinated, as does more than half of the Rainier School for People with Developmental Disabilities in Pierce County’s data, according to data from the Department of Development Social and health services. These sums do not include staff who have been vaccinated in the community.

Similarly, the Washington Department of Justice has only administered vaccines to 40 percent of its employees. Of the 60 percent who were not vaccinated through the agency, some may have received the vaccine in the community.

Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs reports that 10 residents and six employees of the Spokane Veterans Home – where only 43 percent of employees are vaccinated – have tested positive as of July 21. One resident died after receiving a positive diagnosis and being hospitalized.

On Monday, Inslee’s office announced that approximately 60,000 civil servants would be covered by the vaccine mandate. However, it was not immediately clear what percentage of these workers had already been vaccinated or how much Inslee’s order would increase the nationwide vaccination rate.

Inslee’s office said it had the authority to provide a full vaccine mandate under the state’s current COVID-19 state of emergency.

For civil servants, the mandate applies regardless of whether an employee is back in the office or still working from home. In addition, proof of vaccination is required, not just a personal vaccination certificate. Workers can apply for “reasonable accommodation” exemption for religious or medical reasons.

Government employees who fail to abide by the mandate will be fired, according to Inslee’s office.

Prior to Inslee’s announcement, Teamsters Local 117, which has 10,000 or so public sector members including Justice Department workers, said that any vaccine mandate must be the subject of union negotiations.

“Teamsters 117 recognizes the health emergency posed by COVID to our members and advocates an approach that protects the health of workers and the rights of our members in the workplace,” the union said in a statement.

Separately, the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) issued a statement indicating that the implementation of the vaccination mandate would be the subject of negotiations between the union and the state.

“As we have done for the past 18 months, our union will continue to advocate safe working conditions. The WFSE members will negotiate the implications of any vaccine mandate directives to ensure that the heroes of this pandemic are treated fairly in the public service, ”the statement said in part.

The FAQ document published by Inslee’s office states that his administration worked with unions and others to develop the vaccine mandate.

“Employers value their relationships with workers’ organizations and will discuss the implications of this policy as requested,” the FAQ reads.

While Inslee’s actions are far-reaching and likely to trigger some setbacks, vaccine mandates in Washington are not unprecedented. For example, students have to get vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella to go to school. In 2019, following two measles outbreaks in the state, lawmakers suspended the ability for families to opt out based on personal or philosophical objection.

Inslee did not reintroduce a mask mandate on Monday. However, he left the possibility open that he could do so in the future if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise. Inslee has urged Washington residents to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to mask what most areas of Washington are in indoor public places in areas where disease transmission is significant or high .