75 Doctors Did Not Walk Off Their Jobs in Protest

COVID cases are currently surging in Florida. As of August 27, the state is averaging 21,680 new cases per day. According to reports, hospital morgues and funeral homes are reaching capacity with around 279 COVID-related deaths occurring daily. In the midst of this, around 75 doctors at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center gathered to hold a news conference urging people to get vaccinated and wear a mask.

When the event was reported on MSNBC, the network incorrectly described it as doctors staging a walkout to protest the number of unvaccinated COVID patients coming to the hospital. This led many to believe that the doctors were ignoring sick patients in order to hold a demonstration. 

In reality, none of the doctors that were involved in the news conference were on duty at the time. The conference was held early in the morning either before or after their shifts.

After claims that doctors abandoned their shifts to hold a protest had gone viral, MSBNC corrected the initial wording they used to describe the event. The network said: “in yesterday's report we referred to the doctors' event as a simulated walkout. And we learned afterwards many thought that left patients unattended. Doctors wouldn't do that, they're committed, even when they're pushed by these extremes by people who do not choose to get the vaccine. Those doctors gathered before going on shift or after working a long shift on the COVID wards.”