Bethany Bump is reporting for the Times Union most hospitals in the immediate Capital Region have now announced they will be requiring employees to get vaccinated against coronavirus or else face possible disciplinary action. Ellis Medicine and Saratoga Hospital confirmed August 9, they will be requiring the shots. The policy is being instituted as daily cases and hospitalizations from the virus have tripled in two weeks as the result of the fast-spreading delta variant. The region is currently averaging 155 new daily infections and 55 daily hospitalizations, up from 52 infections and 17 hospitalizations two weeks ago. Saratoga Hospital's new vaccination policy allows those who do not get the shot to undergo weekly testing instead. Anyone who fails to comply with those requirements by September 7, will be placed on administrative leave for 90 days, hospital spokesperson Peter Hopper said. Albany Medical Center and Glens Falls Hospital announced last week they will require vaccination or employees could face potential termination. St. Peter’s Health Partners announced a similar policy in July. And Ellis spokesperson Philip Schwartz confirmed that the Schenectady-based hospital will follow that policy as well. Columbia Memorial Health, the Hudson-based hospital affiliated with Albany Med, is still considering its options when it comes to staff vaccinations, according to a report from HudsonValley360 [dot] com. Hospital spokesperson Bill Van Slyke said management is currently reviewing its data and policies before making a decision. Most counties in the Capital Region are currently experiencing high levels of community transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, more than 90 hospitals and health systems nationwide have mandated employee vaccinations against the coronavirus. Read the full story in the Times Union.