Georgia Hospital Groups Require Workers Get Vaccinated, State Preps for Delta Variant Rise

Two health care providers in Georgia are requiring all workers to get inoculated against COVID-19 as the state prepares for the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Piedmont Healthcare announced earlier this week it will mandate all of its leadership, doctors, providers and new employees to be vaccinated starting Sept. 1, with "a few rare exceptions."

"As a healthcare organization, science underlies our fundamental purpose, and in this case, science has provided a clear path forward," the group said in a statement, which was provided to Newsweek.

The Atlanta-based group runs 11 hospitals and 34 urgent care centers in the Peach State.

"It's important to consider that vaccination is a leading factor in patients and team members feeling safe within a health care setting, as shown by research we conducted," Piedmont Healthcare added in the statement. "Moreover, it is in keeping with our peers from other leading health systems throughout the United States."

Piedmont joins St. Mary's Health Care System in requiring workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The requirement will apply to all three hospitals—St. Mary's Health Care System in Athens, St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia and St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital in Greensboro—and medical staff offices, outpatient facilities and retirement communities.

According to WXIA-TV in Atlanta, St. Mary's said it was its "sacred duty to protect all those we serve by ensuring our providers and colleagues have the maximum possible protection against COVID-19 before the onset of cold weather."

"We know some colleagues have concerns about the vaccine. We are reaching out to all colleagues with town halls, team huddles and other interactive communications to answer their questions and address their concerns," the group said. "We want them to know the vaccine is safe and effective and that they are valued."

New infections and hospital visits are rising in Georgia. State health officials reported 725 new cases of the virus, 109 new hospitalizations and 19 deaths on Tuesday. The seven-day average of new cases stood at 743, up from 365 on June 25.

Just 39 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the state's Department of Public Health. A slightly larger share of Georgians, 44 percent, have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The Delta variant of the virus was first detected in Georgia in May and now accounts for a little over 12 percent of the state's cases.

Dr. Cherie Drenzek, a Georgia Department of Public Health epidemiologist, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the state's rising cases show the "impetus really should be to get vaccinated because Delta spreads more easily and it takes hold in very rapid fashion."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC News on Sunday the Delta variant is "nasty" and has "a much greater capability of transmitting from person to person."

Newsweek reached out to St. Mary's Health Care System for additional comment but didn't receive a response before publication.

Update (7/14/2021, 1:10 p.m. Eastern): This story has been updated with additional comment from Piedmont Healthcare.