The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association has issued a statement in support of COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care workers.

The statement points out that, since the vaccine became available, people who are not vaccinated account for 99.4 percent of cases, 99 percent of hospitalizations, and 99.3 percent of deaths in Virginia.

COVID-19 vaccines have proved to be “extraordinarily safe and effective,” said the release, and have resulted in a decline in both case counts and hospitalizations to their lowest levels since the pandemic began.

“The scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that the COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from becoming seriously ill, requiring hospitalization, or dying from the virus, as well as spreading it to others,” said the release.

Many organizations representing medical professionals have called for COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care workers, said the release, and many hospitals and health care systems across the country h...