Mayo Clinic is telling its employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine or take a mandatory education course, the Rochester-based health care provider announced Monday.

All employees are expected to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 17, regardless of work location, Mayo Clinic said. Those who choose not to get the vaccine must complete education modules and wear masks and social distance while at work.

"We are proud of our staff's high vaccination rates and are grateful that the vast majority have embraced the opportunity to get vaccinated," said Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, Mayo Clinic's president and CEO. "Our patients expect to be safe when they come to Mayo Clinic, and we need to do everything we can to protect everybody."

In Minnesota, more than 99% of people who are fully vaccinated have not contracted the virus, Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said in a briefing on Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 99.5% of hospital deaths across the country are among people who have not been vaccinated.

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

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