Washington governor attacks “Overlake” hospital

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee attacked “Overlake” hospital after placing 110 of the hospital’s major wealthy donors at the forefront of Covid-19 vaccine recipients.

The hospital closed the registration of receiving the vaccine through direct contact with people and through online appointments, under the pretext of a malfunction in the system.

“It is unacceptable for the hospital to give preference to the list of donors only, and I demand that the vaccine be distributed fairly for all,” Insley said in a press conference.

He noted the importance of proving eligibility under Washington state’s current requirements to vaccinate people who are eligible for the vaccine, regardless of who they are or how they relate to us.

The biggest obstacle to widespread distribution of the vaccine in Washington state is supply, Insley said, as as of Thursday, 6.2 percent of the state’s population had received their first dose, while only 1.2 percent had received two doses of the vaccine.

Dr. Michael Marsh, President and CEO of the hospital, acknowledged that the hospital made a mistake by including a subset of donors, not adopting a broader strategy to fill in these appointments, and apologized for what happened.

He stressed that donors will be required to prove that they are eligible to receive the vaccine under the state’s guidelines.

Source: “The Wall Street Journal”

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