Nurse's TikTok COVID Video May Cost Her a Job

An oncology nurse in Oregon could potentially end up out of a job after posting a video on TikTok about how she disregards COVID restrictions while off duty. "When my coworkers find out I still travel, don’t wear a mask when I’m out and let my kids have play dates," the clip reads, reports the Statesman Journal of Salem. The video has since been deleted, but you can get a sense of it in a "duet" posted by another user that includes original footage. The nurse's employer, Salem Health, says she has been placed on administrative leave while it investigates. The video "displayed cavalier disregard for the seriousness of this pandemic and her indifference towards physical distancing and masking outside of work," Salem Health says in statement. The company has not publicly identified the Salem Hospital nurse.

The TikTok video went up Friday and triggered an immediate backlash online, with some commenters demanding that she not only lose her job but her nursing license, per Fox News. Both the Salem newspaper and the Washington Post offer some coronavirus stats for context: As with most other states, cases are currently spiking in Oregon. Last week, COVID-related deaths rose 33% and hospitalizations were up 24%. Salem Hospital in particular has 91 employee-related cases, among the highest number for workplaces in the state. "This individual does not speak for Salem Health," says the company statement. (More coronavirus stories.)