Thurston commission OKs vaccine mandate for county workers after dozens voice support
All Thurston County employees must be vaccinated or test weekly to retain their jobs under a resolution the Board of County Commissioners approved on Tuesday.
The resolution passed 2-1 after over two dozen people voiced their support during the public comment period. Commissioners Carolina Mejia and Tye Menser voted in favor of the resolution while commissioner Gary Edwards followed through on the opposition he voiced last week.
The vote took place as a record-breaking fifth wave of COVID-19 infections, driven by the more transmissible delta variant, makes its way through a county population that is just 51.4% fully vaccinated.
It also comes about two weeks after Gov. Jay Inslee announced a vaccine mandate with an Oct. 18 deadline that affects state workers and health care workers. Inslee extended his mandate to include school teachers and staff on Aug. 19.
Unlike the state mandate, Thurston County’s policy establishes an Oct. 31 deadline and allows workers to test weekly if they choose to forgo a vaccination.
The resolution states employees must show proof of vaccination by submitting a COVID-19 vaccination record card, documentation from a healthcare provider, or a state immunization information system record. Personal attestations will not be accepted.
If an employee does not get fully vaccinated by Oct. 31 or refuses to submit weekly testing results, they may be disciplined and fired, according to the resolution. It also says the county will negotiate the impact of this resolution with union- represented employees as needed.
The resolution includes a section for elected officials to sign on in agreement. However, the resolution affects all state workers, even if the elected department head chooses not to sign, county attorney Elizabeth Petrich told the board at an earlier agenda-setting meeting.
Just before the vote, Mejia said she believes this policy is in the best interest of county employees, some of which have told her they are scared to work in person.
“Now some might not take this seriously, but I had a family member who passed away because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mejia said. “We are right now at a crossroads and there’s too much at risk.”
Edwards, who is vaccinated, referred to the policy as coercive. He said he believes this resolution is premature because it does not include protections for any potential adverse reactions to the vaccines.
“There’s no guarantee they’re going to be covered or protected or their families,” Edwards said. “I think this whole resolution is premature without adequate bargaining with the represented unions here at the county level.”
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adverse reactions, including death, are rare, health officials report.
The Food and Drug Administration requires health care providers to report deaths to a nationwide system, even if it’s unclear if a vaccine caused it. Data from this system indicate just 0.0019% of people who received a COVID-19 vaccine have died, per the CDC. Translated, that’s 1.9 people in 100,000.
For comparison, the CDC reports 629,139 people have died from COVID-19 nationwide since the pandemic began. That’s about 1,649 deaths per 100,000 cases.
Edwards also expressed concern about whether the county will have to cover the cost of weekly COVID-19 tests. However, Mejia countered that the ongoing pandemic has caused delays and backlogs in county work that have incurred costs.
“Right now, taxpayers are paying for the increased backlog of cases, they’re paying overtime every time someone gets COVID at the jail,” Mejia said. “Our COVID backlog is immense and every time the jail gets locked down, it’s even worse.”
About two dozen people from across the county attended the virtual board meeting to voice their support for the county’s vaccine resolution.
Craig Apperson, a retired public servant and Tumwater resident, said he believes public employees have a duty to protect the people they serve, including immuno-compromised people.
“It’s important that people basically take responsibility for the community and not just themselves,” Apperson said. “This is thinking in a larger context rather than looking just at your own well-being.”
Karie Nicholas, a professional epidemiologist and volunteer with the Thurston County Medical Reserve Corps, likened the vaccine policy to the rules she must follow to keep her driver’s license as someone with epilepsy.
“The state of Washington has the right to take away my driver’s license if I do not maintain my medication because I’m a danger to the public if I don’t,” Nicholas said. “Even as a private citizen, they have the right to do that. There is no difference in vaccination. We do not have the right to endanger the public because of a medical condition.”
Deborah Pattin, a teacher in the North Thurston Public Schools, drew attention to children who are not old enough to be vaccinated. She said she doesn’t want children to suffer an infectious disease like she did when she was a child.
“I remember being hospitalized with measles, for four days I was so sick, when I was a child because there wasn’t a vaccine yet,” Pattin said. “Now that we have vaccines for all these things, we should all get them.”
Menser already supported the measure, but he said he was heartened to hear the breadth of community support during the public comment period. With weekly cases at all-time highs, he said the COVID-19 situation in Thurston County is deteriorating.
“The hospital situation is stressed and that’s what’s got me the most stressed out,” Menser said. “And schools are about to re-engage with certain levels of children who can’t be vaccinated. So, with all of those things being true and having a tool at hand to help manage, I believe that this is a responsible measure.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 11:00 AM.
