UC Irvine Fires Fellow for Refusing Vaccine

The University of California at Irvine has fired an academic for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The scholar was Aaron Kheriaty, professor of psychiatry and human behavior in the medical school and director of the medical ethics program at UCI Health, the Los Angeles Times reported. In August, he sued the University of California for failing to exempt him from a vaccination requirement because, he says, he has “natural immunity” to COVID-19.

At his blog, he wrote: “Everyone in college seemed to be a fan of my work until suddenly they weren’t. Once I challenged any of their policies, I immediately became a “threat to the health and safety of the community”. No amount of empirical evidence on natural immunity or the safety and efficacy of vaccines mattered. “

University officials declined to comment on the dismissal.