Lawyer: New York governor uses God unfairly in vaccine fight
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has encouraged religious-minded people to get a COVID-19 vaccine by saying it is God’s will that they get inoculated.
A lawyer argued before a federal appeals court Wednesday that the Democrat’s comments about God could be encouraging hospitals and nursing homes to ignore court orders that — for now — are supposed to prevent them from punishing workers who won’t take the vaccine because of religious objections.
Health care institutions across New York this week began suspending workers who failed to meet a state deadline to get a COVID-19 shot. Statewide, about 92% of hospital and nursing home staff had received at least one dose as of the vaccine as of Wednesday morning, according to figures from Hochul’s office.