A Maine hospital system will require staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 once the shots receive full FDA approval.

Northern Light Health said Monday that all employees will need to receive shots of a vaccine as a condition of employment with “very few exceptions” once the emergency use authorization is lifted on one or more of the available vaccines.

CEO and president Tim Dentry said Northern Light doesn’t take this step lightly. In a statement, he said “We carefully considered research, data, and trends, and safety must continue to be our absolute top priority. Getting vaccinated is the single most important and responsible step each of us can take.”

As of July 19th, nearly 80% of Northern Light employees were vaccinated.

With a similar announcement last Friday, Millinocket Regional Hospital became the first hospital in Maine to impose a vaccination requirement for it’s staff once the shots get full FDA approval.