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Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen dies after battle with COVID [Video]

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:


  • Washington State Senator Doug Ericksen died Friday after a month-long battle with COVID-19.
  • The Republican legislator had contracted COVID while on a trip to El Salvador.
  • Ericksen opposed the state-imposed vaccine mandate and attempted to pass legislation to block it.

Washington state Sen. Doug Ericksen has died after a month-long battle with COVID-19. The Republican politician was 52.

Ericksen revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19 during a trip to El Salvador. His cause of death wasn’t immediately released.

Ericksen represented the 42nd District in Whatcom County.

In a statement issued through the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus on Saturday, Ericksen’s wife, Tasha, and his two daughters announced the state senator’s passing.

In November, Ericksen had sent an email to his Republican colleagues in the Washington House and Senate  saying he had tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after he arrived in El Salvador.

He asked them for advice on how to receive monoclonal antibodies, which were not available in the country.

He arranged a medevac flight from El Salvador shortly after sending the email, former state Rep. Luanne Van Werven later said. Van Werven said Ericksen was recovering at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but it was not clear where he was when he died.

Ericksen had been in the Washington Legislature since 1998, serving six terms in the state House of Representatives before being elected to the state Senate in 2010.

Ericksen was also an outspoken critic of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee‘s COVID-19 emergency orders, and introduced legislation earlier this year that he said was intended to protect the rights of those who do not want to get vaccinated.

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He added in that statement: “This bill isn’t pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine. It is pro-individual choice. We need to respect the right of people to make decisions for themselves.”

It was unclear if Ericksen had been vaccinated against the coronavirus himself or why he was visiting El Salvador. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people should make sure they are fully vaccinated before visiting the country, where current levels of COVID-19 are “high.”

Source: Newsweek

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