WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs has became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines.

Monday’s decision comes as the aggressive delta variant spreads and some communities report troubling increases in hospitalizations among unvaccinated people.

Nearly 60 leading medical and health care organizations issued a call Monday for health care facilities to require their workers to get vaccinated.

At the VA, vaccines will now be mandatory for certain medical personnel — including physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants and others who work in departmental facilities or provide direct care to veterans.