With an Oct. 18 deadline looming, nearly 90% of Washington state government employees subject to Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate have complied with the order, according to data released Monday.
Of about 62,000 employees, 89.53% had been verified as fully vaccinated as of Oct. 4, the new figures released by the state Office of Financial Management show. That’s up from 68% as of a couple of weeks earlier.
With a lag in the data and another week to report, the compliance figures are likely to grow before the deadline, despite protests and vows of defiance by a minority of dissenting employees.
The rates vary somewhat among the largest state agencies. At the Department of Social and Health Services, about 91% of employees have been vaccinated.
At the Department of Corrections, more than 90% of headquarters workers were vaccinated, while rates at prisons are a bit lower: about 88% at the Monroe Correctional Complex and 85% at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
About 89% of Washington State Patrol employees have been fully vaccinated, according to OFM.
