Elizabeth Hovde of the Washington Policy Center shares insight into decision by the Washington State Board of Health
Elizabeth Hovde
Washington Policy Center
Today, the Washington State Board of Health unanimously passed a motion to accept the recommendation from a technical advisory group (TAG) against a COVID-19 immunization requirement for school entry. Board members did reiterate support for the COVID-19 vaccines and hoped for voluntary vaccination of school children.
The vote against a vaccine mandate for school children came after an hour-and-a-half of public comment and thousands of emails over the past months opposing such a requirement. (My public comment is included below.)
I was glad to see the board make this decision, given what we know about the vaccines’ limitations and don’t know about their possible side effects, and given the power of natural immunity and the ability to contract and spread COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status.
Technical advisory group members were rightly concerned about the many unknowns of the vaccine, vaccine limitations, and the equity and resource issues involved in such a requirement. Board members echoed the equity and resource concerns, and they noted the social tradeoff of such a requirement. Some members also were open to reconsidering the issue at a later date — if the disease further evolves, if vaccines evolve and when more is known about how to negate social, equity and school-resource issues.
This vote might help the State Board of Health rebuild the trust it will need for public health concerns in the future. Once people knew about the board’s consideration of a COVID-19 immunization requirement, it followed a very thorough and transparent process. It was open to hearing from the public and even extended the public comment time set aside in meetings to accommodate a flood of input.
WPC’s public comment at the April 13 State Board of Health meeting follows:
Thanks for the opportunity to speak today. I’m Elizabeth Hovde with the Washington Policy Center.
I followed the technical advisory group’s consideration of a COVID-19 vaccine requirement, and I benefited from all of the expert-led sessions provided in their meetings. I agree with the group’s final recommendation not to include a COVID-19 immunization requirement for school entry.
We do not yet know enough about the vaccines or their side effects on children. Many kids now carry natural immunization against the disease, and vaccination has been widely available for those who want it. Hospitalizations are also considered manageable enough for the state to lift its mask mandate. Masks are a far less intrusive public health measure than vaccination requirements.
Research shows that the COVID-19 vaccines available do not prevent contraction or transmission of the virus, making the benefit of such a requirement unable to outweigh the cons of such a requirement.
Long-proven vaccines are well-demonstrated, essential parts of public health. Polio, whooping cough, mumps and rubella and other historically debilitating childhood illnesses have been greatly reduced by their widespread use. This latest vaccine is new, however, and, as noted, it does not stop COVID-19 contraction or spread. It does not fit our state’s standards.
State policy should prioritize patient-centered health care. And the decision to receive a COVID19 vaccine is one that should be made between doctors and their patients — without the pressure of a school-entry requirement.
Thank you. Please let me know if you have any questions about the feedback we’ve been hearing regarding this consideration or about the COVID-19 vaccines’ limitations.
Elizabeth Hovde is a policy analyst and director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center. She is a Clark County resident.
Also read:
- Opinion: Why Bob Ferguson is wrong and what SMF is doing about it
Silent Majority Foundation challenges Bob Ferguson over alleged rights violations in federal lawsuit. - Silent Majority Foundation files lawsuit on behalf of former state employees who were terminated under policy requiring a COVID-19 vaccineSilent Majority Foundation files a lawsuit on behalf of former state employees alleging constitutional violations over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
- Letter: New movie on COVID vaccine victims deserves a watchRichard Beamish discusses the documentary on COVID vaccine victims, urging viewers to watch.
- Vancouver screening scheduled of ‘Vaxxed III: Authorized to Kill’Vancouver screening of ‘Vaxxed III: Authorized to Kill’ scheduled for Sept. 18 at Vancouver Mall 23.
- Study: Risk for getting COVID rises with each shot
A new report from the Epoch Times warns that the more COVID shots an individual has taken, the higher the risk of getting COVID. - ‘That’s a scandal’: CDC knew COVID shots caused deaths, but lied with public denialsA new report from the Epoch Times reveals its investigation shows that the CDC knew of the links between the COVID shots and death – and lied about them.
- FDA agrees to remove anti-ivermectin posts off the internet in lawsuit settlementThe Food and Drug Administration has reportedly settled a lawsuit brought by three doctors who accused the health regulator of interfering with their ability to practice medicine and prescribe Ivermectin to treat COVID.
- No good news about student learning on 4-year anniversary of COVID school closuresFour years ago this month, schools nationwide shut down as COVID-19 numbers skyrocketed and students were sent home for what was initially planned to be two weeks.
Public comment noted that $$ and Big Pharma greed is driving the push to require vaccination.
Pfizer CEO Received $24.3 Million in Total Compensation for 2021
Written Comments of 1,453 pages for this meeting, mostly opposed the school COVID vaccine mandates.
Page 240
In the 5-11 year age group, there have been 414 adverse events from Covid vaccination in Washington State; in the 12-18 year age group in Washington state, there have been 1,135 adverse events!
https://openvaers.com/covid-data/adverse-events-by-state
“The total number of US deaths in the 0-18 year demographic over the entirety of the pandemic stands at 1,125, and arguably, none of them were considered “healthy” young people. In other words, they were extremely unhealthy children with multiple comorbidities, who would likely have met a similar outcome had they encountered the influenza virus.”
schools sent letters opposing the mandate.
COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATES:
20 Scientific Facts: Covid Vaccine Mandateshttps://physiciansforinformedconsent.org/covid-19-vaccines
*My friend’s daughter 28 years old had a life-ending asthma attack after her second dose of the Covid-19 SpikeShot that left behind her husband and two young children, 4 and 6 years old. It doesn’t make sense to mandate a product that hasn’t completed Phase 3 trial studies and that has no long-term studies and side effects.”
*I am a preschool owner and mother of a 2 & 4 year old. I am deeply concerned on this topic, and have already seen many of my students having adverse effects to this EUA “vaccine”. I will be forced to close my school if this BOH decision to mandate the COVID19 shot”
*Our children are not a medical experiment. Please do not mandate vaccines.”
*my own daughter who is now on heart medication, as she got the vaccine as a 17year old because she didn’t want to wear the mask all day…then she had to go back to wearing a useless mask all day a few weeks later. I did not want her to get the vaccine available to her without my parental consent but that’s how desperate she was to get away from the mask!! Now she is paying the price to be in this experiment!!”
WA: 7-year old boy and a 17-year old girl died after Pfizer vaccination
Great and brave decision – well done!
US Children, even new-borns, have been subjected to various mandatory vaccinations for many years. Adverse events have occurred, but dismissed. The mRNA Covid-19 ‘vaccines’ (gene therapy in disguise?) has not been scientifically proven to be either safe or effective. They were rushed under an EUA and mandated – disobedience has dire consequences. At best, these vaccines are experimental drugs.
Despite current full approval from the FDA, the fact remains that there is still zero detailed scientific data on the vaccine’s adverse events, both long and short term. The callous dismissal of reported adverse events as ‘rare’ or ‘statistically insignificant’ is obnoxious, medically unethical, and totally lacking in compassion.
Current data have demonstrated that countries with higher vaccination also have higher Covid-19 infections.
Yet again, the addiction to GREED has proven to be obsessive, compulsive, and inhumane. Freedom of choice and true informed consent no longer exist in a country that purports to be ‘the cradle of democracy’.
A child’s immune system is in a stage of development, and should not be tampered with. Forcibly injecting them with experimental mRNA ‘vaccines’ may well decimate the immune system, or, at the very least, reprogram it.
Parents would be well advised to do their own research (fact finding) before subjecting their offspring to treatments that may damage them sooner or later.
Natural immunity has been totally ignored and covered up – again for the sake of GREED.