California to require proof of vaccination for state workers

California will require state employees and all health care workers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly

Virus Outbreak California (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

California will require state employees and all health care workers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly as officials aim to slow rising coronavirus infections, mostly among the unvaccinated.

The new rule will take effect next month, officials announced Monday. There are at least 238,000 state employees, according to the California controller's office. Health officials couldn't immediately provide an estimate on size of the health care workforce in the nation's most populated state.

About 62% of all eligible Californians are fully vaccinated, and the state has struggled to make significant progress in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the more contagious delta variant now makes up an estimated 80% of infections in California. Hospitalizations are on the rise, though still far below where they were during the winter peak.