Mayo Clinic: Staff Must Be Fully Vaccinated By Sept. 17

ROCHESTER, MN — The Mayo Clinic will require all of its employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Sept. 17, the Rochester-based hospital system announced Monday.

The requirement includes all Mayo Clinic campuses. Staff who decline the vaccine "must complete education modules and will be required to wear masks and socially distance when on campus," the Mayo Clinic stated.

The Mayo Clinic is joining a growing number of health systems in the United States to require the vaccine amid concerns about new COVID variants.

People who are unvaccinated are at a higher risk of transmitting the disease to others, Mayo Clinic officials note, adding that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 99.5 percent of COVID-related hospital deaths in the U.S. are patients who were unvaccinated.

"Our patients expect to be safe when they come to Mayo Clinic, and we need to do everything we can to protect everybody," Mayo Clinic CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia said in a statement.

"Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is the single most important thing all of us can do to protect our patients, visitors, colleagues and communities."

Mayo Clinic ranked the best hospital in the nation

The Rochester-based Mayo Clinic continues its reign as the top hospital in the United States, according to the 2021-22 Best Hospitals rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report.

Read more: 11 MN Hospitals Named Best In State: U.S. News