Either there is an ongoing public health emergency requiring extreme measures, or there isn’t. If it’s a crisis, why does a “large event vaccine verification emergency order” announced by the governor on Oct 14 not go into effect until Nov. 15?
10/21/21 | The Spokesman-Review | Sue Lani Madsen | Curated Content
If only we could predict every emergency 30 days in advance. Or maybe it’s not really about the medical science.
Remember last June when the goal was a 70% vaccination rate for herd immunity? We reached the goal, and Gov. Jay Inslee took a victory lap celebrating his success as the proclaimer in chief. Then in August, new science on transmissibility raised the target range for herd immunity. Fair enough, medical science is about asking questions and learning from experience.
Political science is about holding on to power. Having not learned from past adverse reactions to mandates, Inslee issued one of the strictest vaccine mandates in the U.S. Washington hit the new goal of 80-90%, but there was no declaration of victory. The attempted bullying of public servants continued.
Attempted yet unsuccessful, given the number who have chosen to be forced out rather than having a vaccine forced in. State Patrol, social workers, health care workers, ferry crews and others all thinned out by heavy-handed implementation of a mandate driven more by political science than medical science. Regardless of optimistic news releases, residents have been warned by front-line WSDOT workers not to expect the same level of sanding and snowplowing on state highways this winter.
It’s hard to believe it’s medical science behind Inslee’s mandate when Department of Corrections officers are required to be vaccinated or face consequences, but not the inmates. A public health emergency does not differentiate which side of the bars somebody stands on. Read “Following The Science”
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