The District government will require any health care worker who is licensed in D.C. to get at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 30. Officials announced the mandate at a press conference today.

The new requirement applies to

• All licensed, certified and registered health professionals
• All EMS providers such as paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
• All unlicensed health care workers (i.e. patient care technicians, personal care aides, environmental services staff, cleaning crews, and more)

“As we continue to see a rise in the numbers of positive cases among unvaccinated persons across the city, it is necessary that we ensure all health care workers in the District are vaccinated to decrease the spread of COVID-19,” Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said at the press conference. “This new mandate can reduce the likelihood of a COVID-19 outbreak in health care settings and among vulnerable populations.”

Health care workers will eventually need to be fully vaccinated in order to get or renew licenses and other certificates.

Nesbitt says the health department oversees certification for 72 health professions and regulates health care facilities, so she has the ability through the Communicable Disease Act to make those calls.

This is the latest such mandate that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration has announced in recent days. Last week, the mayor announced that the city’s 35,000-strong workforce would be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine, with exemptions to those with medical or religious objections. The mandate holds for teachers and employees of District of Columbia Public Schools, who are set to return to classrooms later this month.

So far, neighboring state governments in Maryland and Virginia have not mandated vaccines for health care workers. But hospitals in each state have required them, to the consternation of some.

Health care professionals can be exempt due to religious beliefs or medical conditions, Nesbitt said Monday. Hospitals and health care providers will decide whether or not to allow workers to do regular testing in lieu of vaccination until the vaccine gets past its emergency use authorization and receives full FDA approval.

The increased requirements come as the highly contagious Delta variant is surging around the country. Nestbitt said Monday that the daily COVID-19 case rate is now more than double than what it was a year ago, accounting for 21 infections per 100,000 people today. “Which is disheartening given that we have vaccines that are available that can prevent new cases as well as hospitalizations and deaths,” she said. “The vast majority of cases occurring in the District of Columbia are occurring in people who are not fully vaccinated.”

According to DC Health, nearly 96% of the 45 people who have died from COVID-19 since May were African American. They were all unvaccinated. While DC Health estimates that just over half of the District’s residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, vaccination rates in the city’s predominantly Black wards have consistently trailed behind wealthier, whiter wards.

“It’s truly a tragedy when we have the opportunity to continue to prevent loss of life from COVID-19,” Nesbitt said.

Bowser says the District is not thinking about adding any more restrictions — like indoor capacity limits — beyond the mask mandate she put in place earlier this month.

This post has been updated with additional information from Monday’s press conference.