Protests ignited Wednesday in Washington State over Gov. Jay Inslee’s (D) forced vaccine mandate for local healthcare systems, set to take effect August 31.
“Citizens are out rallying in protest of Governor Inslee’s forced vaccine mandate outside of Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, WA,” Katie Daviscourt tweeted.
The state deadline for employees to be fully vaccinated is August 31, “unless they have a qualifying medical exemption. Right now, it said 80% of their caregivers are vaccinated, but they need to do more,” KTPV Fox 12 reported.
In Vancouver, Washington, PeaceHealth stated any unvaccinated “caregivers” must submit to regular testing, additional masking, and probable reassignment to “non-patient care.”
After the announcement from the local health system, “more than 100 PeaceHealth employees, family members and other local healthcare workers gathered in Vancouver Saturday to protest the requirement, saying they should have a choice in the matter,” KTPV Fox 12 reported. “Many of those in attendance said they want to give informed consent, as patients do.”
CT technologist at PeaceHealth St. John Tammy Harris told the outlet that he is healthy, and “not the problem.”
“I’m a healthy individual and they need to prove I pose a danger to my patients. I believe I can survive it and if I can’t, I am willing to take the risk. I’m willing to take the end result, which could be death,” he stated.
Washington residents joined protests happening in Tennessee and Kentucky on Tuesday over school mask mandates and forced vaccinations.
“None of us want to lose our job…the reason I came out here, is because, well, I’ve been a nurse for 13 years, and I’ve never taken a vaccine,” registered nurse Crystal Real stated in Kentucky.
Another registered nurse Kentucky, Darlene Miller, told WLWT5 NBC, “It’s not about the vaccine, there’s plenty of people here who have had the vaccine and there’s plenty of people who haven’t, and the choice should be yours to make without being threatened with your job,” Darlene Miller, another registered nurse in Kentucky, told WLWT5 NBC.
In Tennessee, parent Keri Blare from Collierville School District told WREG in Memphis she is fighting the school mask mandate.
“We want to have our own right and have our own decision to decide to wear a mask or not. That’s why I’m here today and that’s the right that I have to make that for my child as a recommendation,” she said.
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