AZ nurse fired for refusing COVID vaccine as hospital allows COVID-positive nurses to work
Arizona nurse Kaitlin Elcock was fired from a Mayo Clinic in early 2022 for not complying with the COVID vaccine mandate; meanwhile, the hospital is allowing COVID-positive nurses to continue working with patients.
An Arizona nurse who was fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons called the religious exemption process an "overreach" and "beyond intrusive" as hospitals nationwide grapple with staffing shortages.
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Kaitlin Elcock joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss her termination from Mayo Clinic, alongside hundreds of her former colleagues, even as a major provider in the state permits hospital staff infected with COVID-19 to continue working.
"It was heart-wrenching. It was devastating," Elcock told Todd Piro and Ashley Strohmier. "The whole process of the religious exemption was beyond intrusive, and I feel like it put my religion and my faith on trial, and that's complete overreach from Mayo and should not have happened in the first place."
Nurse Ray Akindele processes COVID-19 rapid antigen tests at a testing site in Long Beach, California, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Elcock highlighted the hypocrisy surrounding her firing, claiming Mayo is allowing COVID-positive workers to continue working during their shifts.
"It's super unfortunate because there are vaccinated coworkers who have been exposed, and they're waiting for their test result to come back, and they're still allowing them to come to work," Elcock explained.
"Their test result is coming back positive toward the end of the shift, and they've already worked that whole shift with the patient, and they're not even sending them home," she continued.
Strohmier noted that allowing COVID-positive staff to continue working is not Mayo's official policy.
Dignity Health, however, a hospital system in Arizona but based in California, reportedly said it would allow COVID-positive hospital workers with mild symptoms to continue working citing the CDC's "third tier" guidelines.
Employees who fall into this category must wear an N95 mask for 10 days but would not be required to quarantine.
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"No one should have to make this choice," Elcock said of the ongoing vaccine mandate debate.
"My plan is to put myself and my family first," Elcock continued. "I got into nursing to care for people, and I will find a way to do that, whether that's here in state with an employer that will respect my decisions, or out of state."
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