OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday that 20 of its 764 workers did not meet the Oct. 18 deadline to get vaccinated against COVID.

Throughout all state agencies, 1,882 workers, or about 3% of the 63,291 affected employees, were fired, according to the Office of Financial Management.

The state reported the overall vaccination rate at 92%, but that was based on an “adjusted headcount” and didn’t include the fired workers. The remaining workers were granted a religious or medical exemption or are partially vaccinated and on leave.

The state did not identify the fired workers. One of the state’s highest-profile employees — and its highest paid — Washington State University football coach Nicholas Rolovich was fired for declining to be inoculated. He made $3.2 million a year.

The agriculture department’s vaccination rate was 93%, based on the adjusted headcount. Some 49 workers were granted exemptions. Eight workers are partially vaccinated and can use leave time to become fully vaccinated. Two workers retired.

Department spokesman Hector Castro said managers will look at how the departures will the affect the agency.

“Obviously, our commitment is to provide services to the agricultural industry and the public at large, but we have to do an assessment,” he said.

Gov. Jay Inslee issued the vaccine mandate Aug. 9, calling COVID vaccinations a “public good.” The order did allow for personal or philosophical objections.

The order applied to schools, universities and agencies under Inslee’s control and extended to contractors and volunteers.

Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz, a statewide elected official, issued a similar order for the Department of Natural Resources.

DNR spokesman Darwin Forsyth said that 1,366 department employees, or 89%, were fully vaccinated, and seven left the agency.

Some 136 were granted exemptions and are seeking accommodations for their unvaccinated status, he said. “There has not been a sky-is-falling scenario,” Forsyth said.

At the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 43 workers out of 1,994 were fired. At Ecology, 35 workers out of 1,609 were dismissed, while at Labor and Industries, 61 out of 3,070 were terminated.

The Washington State Patrol reported firing 159 workers out of 2,136. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, issued a joint statement warning that the firings will hurt public safety.

They criticized Inslee for not offering state employees the option to be tested weekly for COVID.

“We cannot expect a COVID-free society. We need to find ways to mitigate the virus without making it even harder for people to provide for their families,” they said.

Dozens of state employees sought to block the mandate, but failed to win a restraining order in court. Republican state senators in the Freedom Caucus said Tuesday that Inslee should follow terminated state workers out the door and resign.

The firings follow months of arbitrary decrees based on questionable or non-existent science, the senators said in a statement.

“When one person makes all the decisions, there can be no question who is at fault,” said Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview.

The Washington Department of Health reported Oct. 18 that 72% of state residents 12 and older were fully vaccinated. Some 78% had at least one dose, according to the department.