UCLA anesthesiologist, who opposes COVID vaccination warrants, escorted out of workplace

A UCLA anesthesiologist who has expressed opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate was escorted out of his workplace on Monday for attempting to enter the building without being vaccinated.

In a video he apparently captured himself, Dr. Christopher B. Rake was escorted out of 200 UCLA Medical Plaza in Westwood by three people.

“That’s what happens when you stand up for freedom and show up for work, ready to work, even if you’re not vaccinated, and that’s the price you sometimes have to pay,” he says. . “But what they don’t realize is that I’m prepared to lose everything – job, salary, freedom, even my life for this cause.”

Rake has already spoken about his beliefs. On August 29, it was recorded at an anti-vaccination rally in Santa Monica speaking of his opposition to California’s August 5 order that all healthcare workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 30. In opposition, Rake founded an anti-vaccination organization called Citizens United for Freedom. In the video, Rake tells the crowd, “They want to force a vaccine, drug or treatment into my body that I don’t want. So they say to me: ‘Take the jab or we take your job.’ And I’m here to say no. It’s not good.

UCLA Health said in a statement that active employees who do not work remotely must be vaccinated or be granted an exemption, according to the state’s public health order. “Those who do not respect the rules are subject to progressive discipline, including restricting access to construction sites and being put on leave,” the statement said.

It is not known what consequences Rake suffered as a result. Rake did not respond to a request for comment.

UCLA Health employees are required to receive the annual flu shot and provide documentation of vaccination or immunity against certain infectious diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, pertussis, and meningitis.

This year, influenza and COVID-19 vaccines were added to UCLA’s list of vaccination requirements for students.

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At the anti-vaccination rally on August 29, Rake urged spectators not to ask for any exemptions for the vaccine. He claimed that asking for an exemption “agrees with the totalitarian lie that another group has authority over your body.”

UCLA Health responded to Rake’s video at the rally, stating that his comments did not represent his views.

Rake graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 2004 and completed his residency at UCLA Medical Center in 2009. He has been a certified anesthesiologist since 2010.

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.