Chelan Douglas Health District Drops COVID, Flu Vaccine Requirements for Employees

The Chelan Douglas Health District Board has voted to eliminate COVID-!9 and Influenza vaccines from the list of required immunizations as a condition of employment with the health district.

The Health District was considering whether changes to the Employee Health Policy were necessary since the district had declared an end to the public health emergency from COVID in 2023.  The policy in place was last reviewed in February 2022

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During the Monday board discusssion prior to the vote on a motion to revise the policy, board member Dan Sutton said he was voting against the mandate because of the low efficacy of COVID vaccines versus others that have proven to be more effective.  Sutton said his understanding was mRNA COVID vaccines had a 30 to 40 % efficacy while polio caccines rose to 95% effective.

"I could sse why you would get that vaccine, that one makes sense to me.  I know people with polio, that makes sense to me.  I know so many people who got the COVID vaccine and came down with COVID.  That one doesn't make sense."

Sutton added "I find it unfortunate that the pandemic and COVID and the controversy over this has probably damaged the reputation of vaccines that are probably very important to community health in a very real way."

Bill Sullivan has been the lone voice on the board arguing against the Health District board positions on a number of COVID vaccine policies said he was pleased with the board's decision.

"I am personally very proud of the board and I think this is a huge step in the right direction.  It's an acknolegment that these are individual choices and that the health district is going to benefit by retaining and recruiting the best employees that know that their employer respects their medical wishes"

The vote was 8 -3 to drop the COVID and flu vacccine requirements but health district employees will still be screened and vaccinated against hepatitus B, rubella, mumps, measles, Tdap and varicella if no immunity is present, and tested for tuberculosis.

The revised policy drops a requirement for an employee's faith leader to approve a request for religious exemptions and employees can still claim a medical waiver.

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