Where employers are requiring COVID-19 vaccines, some workers weigh hesitancy against their paycheck

Karen Jellison didn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine.

When her employer required it for all workers at the Latrobe-based assisted living facility where she had been a med tech for the past few years, she filed for a religious and medical exemption. She was anxious about potential side effects and concerned that the research behind the vaccine was too new to justify a blanket mandate.

The company denied her request — so she quit.