Goodbye, $3.2M Salary: Washington’s Top-Paid Employee Fired Over Vax Rule

The Washington Post: Nick Rolovich Fired By Washington State Because Of Covid-19 Mandate 
In perhaps the most striking case to date of a public employee being terminated because of a coronavirus vaccine mandate, Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich was dismissed Monday, the school announced, after not adhering to a statewide order issued by Gov. Jay Inslee (D) in August. He was the state’s highest-paid employee at $3.2 million per year, and he had remained unvaccinated up to the state’s vaccination deadline of Monday. “Nick is not eligible to be employed at Washington State University, through noncompliance,” Athletic Director Pat Chun summarized Monday night. (Culpepper, 10/18)

AP: Seattle Touts 99% Compliance With Employee Vaccine Mandate
The city of Seattle reported Monday morning that 99% of its employees are in compliance with the mayor’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. By 11:59 p.m. Monday, all Seattle city employees have to be vaccinated against COVID-19, per an August order by Mayor Jenny Durkan. As of Monday morning, 94% of the city’s 11,000 employees had been vaccinated and an additional 5% have filed paperwork for an exemption, The Seattle Times reported. The remaining 150, or about 1%, had not yet complied. (10/18)

And tension grows at police departments —

Chicago Tribune: Chicago, Police Union Sue Each Other Over Vaccine Mandate 
A judge late Friday issued a temporary restraining order against the Chicago police union president, prohibiting him from making public statements that encourage members not to report their COVID-19 vaccine status to the city. Cook County Circuit Judge Cecilia Horan ruled there was potential irreparable harm if local Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara persisted in making such statements. City attorneys argued they were tantamount to him advocating “sedition” and “anarchy” because he was directing members to disobey an order from their superiors. (Yin, Pratt, Byrne, Crepeau, Petrella and Turner, 10/18)

The Washington Post: Trooper Robert LaMay Leaves Washington State Patrol After Refusing Vaccination 
At the end of his final shift as a trooper with the Washington State Patrol, Robert LaMay reached for his radio. In a parting message broadcast across the agency’s dispatch system, he announced that he was “being asked to leave because I am dirty,” referring to his defiance of the state’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for government employees. The 22-year veteran thanked his colleagues — and offered some choice words for the governor. “This is the last time you’ll hear me in a state patrol car,” said LaMay, 50, who recorded his remarks. “And Jay Inslee can kiss my a--.” (Shammas, 10/18)

In updates on health worker mandates —

Fox News: Nearly 100 Unvaccinated Staff At Yale New Haven Health Lose Their Jobs
Nearly 100 employees in the Yale New Haven Health system lost their jobs Monday because they failed to get a COVID-19 vaccine, officials said. The employees were on suspension and had until Monday to get vaccinated following a June 30 mandate announcement by Yale New Haven Health, and other hospital-based health systems in Connecticut, according to reports. "We did pretty well, I think, all things considered," Associate Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Ohm Deshpande told the New Haven Register. "We’re at 94 at this moment who are subject to termination. They’re getting notified today that they’re being separated from the organization." (Aaro, 10/19)

The Boston Globe: Mass General Brigham Employees Sue Hospital System For Denying COVID-19 Vaccination Exemptions
A group of Mass General Brigham employees are suing the health care system for denying their medical or religious exemptions for getting a COVID-19 vaccine, arguing that the denials are discriminatory and violate protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to court documents. The lawsuit was filed Sunday in US District Court as Mass General Brigham, the state’s largest hospital system, nears its Wednesday deadline for employees to show they have received at least one shot or be placed on unpaid leave. Employees who have not received at least their first shot by Nov. 5 will be terminated. (Stoico, 10/18)

Anchorage Daily News: Two Major Alaska Health Care Providers Say More Than 98% Of Employees Are Meeting COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Two major Alaska health care providers are reporting high levels of employee compliance with vaccine mandates, refuting predictions of a significant exodus of shot-opposed workers from city officials, including from Anchorage’s mayor. The operators of both Providence Alaska Medical Center, the state’s largest hospital in Anchorage, and Alaska Native Medical Center on Monday were reporting more than 98% compliance with vaccine requirements. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, which operates the Native Medical Center, says more than 98% of about 3,000 employees are in compliance with the vaccine mandate that went into effect Friday. (Hollander and Krakow, 10/18)

Bangor Daily News: 9 In 10 Maine Paramedics Are Vaccinated, But Mandate Squeezes Some Rural Areas
Nine in 10 Maine paramedics have been vaccinated against COVID-19 with a mandate going into effect later this month, but the requirement could further squeeze rural areas that have long faced shortages of emergency medical services workers. The Maine Emergency Medical Services Board was skeptical of Gov. Janet Mills’ vaccine mandate, voting in August to give workers two additional weeks to get vaccinated beyond what the Democratic governor initially proposed. It also exempted dispatchers from the requirement, saying only those who worked directly with patients should be covered. (Piper, 10/19)

Also —

AP: Federal Judge Rejects Bid To Block Oregon Vaccine Mandate
A federal judge on Monday denied a last-minute bid by more than three dozen state employees, health care providers and school staff to temporarily stop the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon rejected their motion for a temporary restraining order, marking the first federal judge’s ruling after several state court decisions thwarting similar efforts to block Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s and the Oregon Health Authority’s power to require that certain workers to get the vaccines or risk losing their jobs, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. (10/19)

Los Angeles Times: Parents Protest California Student COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate 
Groups of parents and children kept out of school in protest lined the sidewalk outside Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa on Monday, part of statewide demonstrations against California’s mandate requiring all K-12 students to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Parents, children and some school district employees held signs including “Our kids are not lab rats” and “Our children our choice.” Similar scenes played out in Huntington Beach and Sacramento, where the state Capitol protest appeared to be the largest. (Gomez and Blume, 10/18)

The Washington Post: Miami School Says Vaccinated Students Must Stay Home For 30 Days To Protect Others, Citing Discredited Info
In April, a Miami private school made national headlines for barring teachers who got a coronavirus vaccine from interacting with students. Last week, the school made another startling declaration, but this time to the parents: If you vaccinate your child, they’ll have to stay home for 30 days after each shot. The email from Centner Academy leadership, first reported by WSVN, repeated misleading and false claims that vaccinated people could pass on so-called harmful effects of the shot and have a “potential impact” on unvaccinated students and staff. (Peiser, 10/18)

AP: NHL Suspends Evander Kane 21 Games For COVID Violations
The NHL has suspended San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane for 21 games for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. The league on Monday announced the suspension without pay and said Kane will not be eligible to play until Nov. 30 at New Jersey. Kane will forfeit about $1.68 million of his $7 million salary for this season with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. (Dubow, 10/18)

The Washington Post: Fake Vaccine Cards, Will Travel: People Confess To Using Counterfeit Cards To Their Travel Advisers
A travel adviser, once known as a travel agent, can easily become a client’s confidant over years of trip planning. ... The Ocean Reef Club travel adviser Stephanie Fisher said she has had three people ask her about using fake vaccination cards. She declined to book their trips. “It’s not something I’m willing to touch,” Fisher said. Instead of being shy about the admission, Fisher said, the prospective clients have seemed proud. “There’s a weird glee about trying to find a way to short-circuit the system,” she said. (Compton, 10/18)