(KGTV) -- Kaiser Permanente will make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all employees and physicians, the healthcare system announced Monday.
According to the organization, nearly 78 percent of employees and over 95 percent of physicians have been fully vaccinated as of July 31.
Kaiser has set a target date of September 30 to “achieve a fully vaccinated workforce.”
“Unvaccinated employees and physicians will be required to become fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or apply for medical or religious exemption,” the organization said.
Kaiser also said it’s working with labor unions to implement an employee vaccination mandate.
Currently, more than 216,000 people are employed by Kaiser.
“For 16 months, we have been doing everything we can to save lives, care for COVID-19 patients, and prevent our communities from contracting this deadly virus,” said Ramin Davidoff, MD, co-CEO of The Permanente Federation. “The COVID-19 vaccines offer us the path to move beyond the pandemic in the same way vaccination has brought an end to the epidemics of smallpox, polio, measles, and other deadly diseases.”
