Respiratory Therapist Fails to Undo Vaccine Bias Loss on Appeal

Accommodating a respiratory therapist’s religion-based opposition to vaccination against Covid-19 would have posed an undue hardship for the medical center where he worked, an appeals court said.

Charleston Area Medical Center pointed out that the therapist, who lost his job for refusing vaccination, would probably have worked directly with Covid-19 patients. “The increased risk of transmission alone is sufficient to demonstrate an undue hardship to the hospital,” the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said in a Tuesday unpublished opinion affirming summary judgment in CAMC’s favor.

The case is among many religious bias lawsuits stemming from the Covid-19 ...