Chelan Douglas Health Board Bans Discussion On COVID Vaccine

The Chelan Douglas Health Board will no longer allow discussion about COVID-19 vaccines at its meetings unless the topic is on the board's agenda in advance. 

The board passed a motion by member Jerrilea Crawford to adopt the restriction at this week's meeting. 

Crawford made her motion after fellow board member and vaccine skeptic Bill Sullivan questioned the health district's handing of COVID-19 vaccinations, which he's done during the last three meetings. 

"I think we need a process here, so we're not held hostage by repeating the same conversation over and over again," said Crawford, who is also the mayor of East Wenatchee. 

The board approved Crawford's motion by an 8-2 margin. 

Sullivan then responded to Crawford's motion by saying he had previously tried to have his concerns included in the agenda to no avail. 

"Prior to the September meeting, I requested an agenda item," said Sullivan. "And I asked for some documents to be distributed to the board through the executive committee. They chose not to do that because, much like Mayor Crawford, they felt like the COVID discussion was over, and we don't need to have these discussions any longer." 

Sullivan's statement appeared to have triggered a quick admonishment for Health Board Chairman Kevin Overbay. 

"On multiple occasion today and in the past, you've attacked the board, and members of this board," said Overbay, who is also a Chelan County Commissioner. "Your comments, whether it's passive-aggressive comments that you've made to try to make a point. And I'll be honest with you. As the chair, I don't appreciate it.   

Monday's motion was narrowly targeted to block Sullivan from bringing up his objections to the vaccine at every meeting. It does not prevent the board's health officer and CDHD administrator Luke Davies from presenting information on the vaccines. 

Sullivan's focus on Monday centered on whether the consent form the health district present to people receiving a COVID-19 shot contains accurate information. 

Sullivan's focus on the vaccine has dominated three of the four meetings since the new board first gathered June, and he says he'll continue to raise the issue moving forward.  

The documents he has brought up to question the safety and efficacy of the vaccine includes Great Barrington Declaration, which in 2020 claimed mass COVID-19 infection could be tolerated, and that any infection would bring long term sterilizing immunity.   

He also points to a document recently signed by hundreds of doctors, scientists, and health professionals that has declared an international medical crisis due to COVID-19 vaccine injuries.   

In addition, Sullivan continually brings up the VAERS system which tracks vaccine side effects and adverse events.  Sullivan told KPQ that the VAERS system reports 31,000 deaths attributed to the COVID-19 vaccine.  

The CDC reports that from December 14, 2020, through September 14, 2022, VAERS received 16,516 preliminary reports of death among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine.   

The agency says reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem.   

Sullivan is a 49-year-old hydrogeologist from Wenatchee, who has consistently questioned the severity of COVID-19 infections and has called the vaccines experimental, and possibly hazardous.