Northwestern Medicine To Require COVID-19 Vaccination For Doctors, Staff By Halloween

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Northwestern Medicine is among the latest institutions to require COVID-19 vaccination for all staff.

Doctors and staffers at the hospital system have been ordered to get the vaccine by Halloween.

They will join all the other major hospitals in the Chicago area.

Northwestern Medicine said it has implemented safety protocols to align with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly 80 percent of Northwestern doctors and staff are already vaccinated.

But because of the spread of the more contagious Delta variant and the risk to those with underlying medical conditions – and children under 12 who can't yet be vaccinated – Northwestern has decided to take the rules a step further.

If a Northwestern Medicine employee has a religious or medical exemption, they may remain unvaccinated – but must test weekly.