UK announced in a news release Wednesday that all UK HealthCare employees will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by September 15.

The news release detailed that all “providers, staff, trainees, learners and those who work in UK HealthCare facilities” will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 15, barring religious or medical exemptions. This requirement was announced after COVID-19 cases in Kentucky increased by 200% over the last 14 days, with the majority of hospitalized people being unvaccinated.

Dr. Mark Newman, UK’s executive vice president for health affairs, said in the news release that UK hopes this requirement “reinforces the importance of vaccination and…encourages more vaccination throughout the Commonwealth.”

“Vaccination is the primary way to put the pandemic behind us and avoid the return of stringent public health measures,” Newman said.

This requirement has already been implemented by other Kentucky hospitals and nearly 60 other medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association.

“Just as we have believed for years in vaccinations to slow the spread of influenza and its consequences for those who are medically compromised, we believe in COVID-19 vaccination as one crucial tangible step we can all take to provide a safe environment of care,” Newman said in the news release.

To find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccine.ky.gov.