Chautauqua County’s largest hospital said it’s awaiting further word after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that all health care workers in New York state will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Under the new policy, workers in hospitals, adult and long-term care facilities, and nursing homes will have to get their first dose of the vaccine by Sept. 27. However, there will be what the state called “limited exceptions for those with religious or medical reasons.”

The new policies aim to goad people into getting vaccinated as New York, like the rest of the U.S., confronts a coronavirus wave powered by the highly infectious delta variant of the virus.

UPMC spokeswoman Karen Beardsley said the Jamestown hospital was “awaiting additional guidance from the New York State Department of Health” regarding the mandate that all health care workers get COVID-19 inoculations.

“UPMC will continue its vaccine advocacy and outreach efforts, make vaccines easily and readily available for all, and maintain employee, patient and visitor masking requirements in all of our facilities regardless of vaccination status,” Beardsley said.

In June, Beardsley noted that 70% of all staff on a “system-wide basis” had been vaccinated against the virus. She said this week that UPMC Chautauqua’s rate of vaccination among staff was around the 70% mark as well.

Lutheran Jamestown, which offers assisted living and skilled nursing at its campuses, also needed time to digest the new vaccine mandate.

“We are aware of the new regulation that Governor Cuomo issued Monday regarding vaccines among health care, nursing home, and adult care workers in New York State,” Tom Holt, Lutheran president and CEO, told The Post-Journal in a statement. “Like many state-issued mandates before it, we received the information at the same time as everyone else.

“While we recognize the importance that vaccines play in battling Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), we still need time to understand fully the implications this decision may have. We are reviewing the official guidance and will take the appropriate actions necessary to remain in compliance.”

New York state’s new policy for hospitals and long-term care facilities follows vaccination requirements for health care workers in California, members of the U.S. military, and patient care staffers in the federal Health and Human Services Department and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Some private businesses, from Google to United Airlines, also have ordered employees to get the shot.

“Our health care heroes led the battle against the virus, and now we need them to lead the battle between the variant and the vaccine,” said Cuomo, a Democrat who is leaving office later this month after resigning over sexual harassment allegations, which he denies.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.