Medical groups are calling for more stringent measures to protect against rising COVID cases.

Due to the prevalence of the delta variant, combined with waning vaccination rates all over the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has once again surged forth after a brief respite. While the numbers are far lower than the pandemic’s peak last year, cases are still on the rise, with the vast majority of COVID-19-induced deaths occurring in those who have forgone vaccination.

As was the case in the height of the pandemic, one group at highest risk of transmission is health workers who spend their days in close proximity to those who have been infected. In order to prevent the healthcare system from becoming overburdened, multiple American medical groups have called for mandatory vaccinations in all healthcare professionals.

“Our health care organizations and societies advocate that all health care and long-term care employers require their workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This is the logical fulfillment of the ethical commitment of all health care workers to put patients as well as residents of long-term care facilities first and take all steps necessary to ensure their health and well-being,” a coalition of over 50 medical groups, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association, said in a joint statement issued Monday.

“Because of highly contagious variants, including the Delta variant, and significant numbers of unvaccinated people, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are once again rising throughout the United States. Vaccination is the primary way to put the pandemic behind us and avoid the return of stringent public health measures,” the statement added.