ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order late Monday night that puts a plan in place that she says will address workforce shortages related to the vaccine mandate.

That mandate is now in effect. All healthcare workers must now be vaccinated.

The state reports 92% of nursing home staff members have received at least one dose of the vaccine. That’s up from 70% from mid-August.

Adult care facilities are reporting 89% of staff are now vaccinated.

And the state says 84% of hospital staff are now fully vaccinated. That’s up from 77% from August 10. The number of staff who have received at least one dose is currently 92%.

Hochul's executive order expands the eligible workforce and allows more health care workers to administer COVID-19 testing and vaccines.

The order allows out-of-state and out-of-country health care workers, including physicians, RNs, midwives, specialists and other professionals to practice in New York.

EMS certification is extended by one year. And New York state-licensed providers without current registrations are allowed to practice.

The Hochul administration is also working with the federal government to expedite visa requests for foreign medical professionals. And a 24/7 operations center, led by the state health department, is being created to monitor staffing levels across the state, providing assistance and guidance as needed.

Despite this executive order, local health systems want people to remain calm and know that most employees are complying with the mandate.

UR Medicine says more than 97% of its clinical staff remain on the job. More than 95% of them have received at least one dose of the vaccine. That number is up more than 3% from last week. Hospital leaders say more could choose to get the shot in the days ahead.

"And I have to emphasize, we continue to vaccinate," said Kathy Parrinello, URMC chief operating officer. "We have vaccine clinics scheduled all this week because we know there are some individuals that were hesitant, but when the reality of not being able to come to work and being able to work with their colleagues really hits, and people decide to become vaccinated, we want to be ready for them."

Parinello says about 300-400 workers, or 2% of the health system's employees, have religious exemptions. Those employees will receive weekly testing.