Inslee Blames Unvaccinated for COVID Surge, Suspends Procedures

Gov. Inslee essentially blamed the roughly 29 percent of Washington residents who are not vaccinated for the recent surge in Omicron-based COVID cases during his Thursday press conference. (71 percent are fully, nearly 80 percent have had at least one shot).

INSLEE ALSO BLAMES REPUBLICANS FOR SCARING PEOPLE-HOAXES

Gov. Inslee blamed Republicans, in a shot clearly aimed at House Rep Joe Walsh (R-Aberdeen) for spreading hoaxes about the Washington State Health Board meeting Wednesday.

Inslee accused them of spreading an "internet hoax" that "scared 30 thousand people to death."

He was referring to the consideration by the board to add COVID to the list of diseases that could fall under WAC codes, potentially resulting in quarantine camps.  He did not address the Board discussing possibly adding COVID to K-12 schoolchildren mandatory vaccines.  This WAS on their original agenda, but they walked it backward with a statement earlier this week.

Hundreds of people crowded outside the Board meeting, while thousands watched via Zoom, and Rep. Walsh told the outside crowd they "had won the day" by shedding light on the actions of these bureaucrats.

  INSLEE REQUIRES HOSPITALS TO SUSPECT NON-VITAL PROCEDURES

Inslee also said this new surge is taxing hospital capacity, so he has "required" hospitals, for now, to suspend performing non-vital medical procedures...likely to mean elective surgeries. No concrete specifics were mentioned when he said that.

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 INSLEE LINKS SURGE TO UNVACCINATED PERSONS

He also segued from being disheartened about the Omicron surge to saying 80 percent of hospitalized persons (apparently due to COVID) are unvaccinated.  Considering 71 percent of the state is considered FULLY vaccinated, and nearly 80 percent have had at least one shot, that was quite the accusation.

He said essentially, those people have "put us behind the 8-ball."

And finally when asked about how the Supreme Court striking down the Biden private business vax mandate, if he was considering a state mandate, Inslee said this:

"(the state) is not thinking about immediate vax requirement,"  instead they are focusing on the immediate needs at hand. Inslee claimed the Supreme Court ruling was a Federal issue, said he had not reviewed the ruling yet, and tried to say it would not necessarily prevent the state from having its own--in so many words.