A circuit judge has ruled that the city of Gainesville, Florida, can’t force its employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine—and a cardiologist played a key role in the trial.
Gainesville’s policy had originally said employees of the city had to at least get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 1 or potentially be terminated. More than 200 employees filed a lawsuit against the city, however, arguing that such a vaccine mandate should not be allowed.
The Independent Florida Alligator, student newspaper of the University of Florida, provided a detailed account of the proceedings, noting that Gainesville’s legal team did not offer any evidence in support of the mandate or call any witnesses to help make its case.
The opposition, meanwhile, brought in multiple experts, including cardiologist Peter A. McCullough, MD. McCullough has gained popularity over the last several months for making media appearances related to COVID-19 on Fox News and other outlets. Physician James Neuenschwander, MD, and professor Jayanta "Jay" Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, also testified in the case.
Just one day after the judge made its ruling, Gainesville withdrew the policy altogether.
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Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.