WA Secretary of Health, Dr. Umair Shah, stepping down in 2025

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah announced he will be stepping down from the position in 2025.

Dr. Shah made the announcement Tuesday, and will step down effective Jan. 15, 2025. Shah was appointed to the position in Dec. 2020 by Governor Jay Inslee, after previous health secretary Dr. John Wiesman took a position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Shah took the reins of Washington's COVID-19 pandemic response right as vaccines were becoming available.

Washingtonians will doubtless remember waiting in lines at Lumen Field for their vaccines, the mask mandates, or the state's phased reopening plan — during which all counties but King County were able to advance to larger crowds and reopened businesses, later prompting Inslee to modify the plan and move King County forward. Each of the state's controversial decisions were met with pushback, but arguably saved thousands of lives.

Dr. Umair Shah (File / FOX 13)

The state's efforts also led to the vaccine mandate in 2021, requiring all state employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine if they wanted to keep their jobs. Just shy of 2,000 state employees were fired, though the mandate was eventually dropped in Feb. 2023.

"Over the past four years, Dr. Shah has guided the agency through unprecedented challenges, leaving a lasting impact on public health in Washington. Under his leadership, the Washington State Department of Health has become one of the most innovative and resilient public health agencies in the nation," read a statement from the Washington State Department of Health. "While leadership changes can bring uncertainty, DOH remains steadfast in its commitment to serving the communities of Washington. We are grateful for Dr. Shah’s contributions and visionary leadership, and we wish him success in his next endeavors."

Shah will serve through the remainder of Gov. Inslee's term.

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