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Washington's top public health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy to leave position

By News Staff
Published  October 14, 2020 3:32pm PDT
Washington
Associated Press

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OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington’s top public health officer announced Wednesday that she will leave the state’s health department at the end of the year.

Dr. Kathy Lofy, who said it was an honor to help lead the state’s COVID-19 response, said that she planned to focus on her own health and to connect with friends and family, The Seattle Times reported.

Lofy said that there wasn't any one reason she was leaving, just that "it's the right time for me personally.”

State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy speaks during a press conference on COVID-19 in Shoreline, Wash. on Feb. 28, 2020. Health officials announced two new cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus, one involving a high school student in Snohomish County and

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Her departure will come at around the same time as Secretary of Health John Wiesman will leave the state. Wiesman said in May that he will resign his role in January 2021 to take a job at the University of North Carolina.

“We anticipate starting recruitment in the next month as we transition, also, secretary leadership,” Wiesman said Wednesday.

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