Inslee Says Washington State’s COVID Response One of Best in Nation

Governor Jay Inslee took some time last week to recap where Washington State sits among others in terms of its pandemic performance.

According to the CDC, Washington has the 7th best COVID-19 death rate per capita in the nation. Inslee says if Washington had performed like the worst state (New Jersey) then deaths would have been almost four times higher. That would work out to about 15,000 more people.

"If we had just been at the average level of loses in the United States, we would have lost an additional over 7,000 people in our state." stated Inslee, "So I think it's a testament to the decision making that we have all made in Washington State."

Inslee suggested that states that opened up vaccine eligibility more broadly hindered their own ability to distribute doses. Washington currently ranks 22nd in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, with 81.25% of all doses received from the federal government administered.

Finally, Inlsee characterized the recent uptick in COVID cases across the state "disturbing" and if Washingtonians want to avoid a rollback from Phase 3, the governor said residents must do what they can to keep case numbers down.