Medical professionals in DC could lose their licenses if they don't get vaccinated by the end of September

• DC healthcare workers could lose their licenses if they don't get vaccinated soon.
• Testing regularly for the coronavirus will no longer be an option come September 30.
• Religious and medical exemptions are still available for those who qualify, DC said Wednesday.

Medical professionals in Washington, DC, could lose their licenses if they don't get at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by September 30.

The DC Health Department released new vaccination guidelines for licensees on Wednesday.

While there are medical and religious exemptions available, there will not be an option to get regular COVID-19 tests to prove negativity, NBC Washington first reported.

"Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action against your license, including but not limited to suspension, revocation, or non-renewal of said license," the Health Department guidelines say.

In a statement NBC Washington reporter Mark Segraves shared, the DC Department of Health said the city has an "alarming number" of unvaccinated medical professionals who could contribute to the spread of the coronavirus.

The move comes after an announcement last month that said all DC healthcare workers would be required to get the vaccine, but in that announcement, there was no indication whether weekly testing would be an option, NPR reported.

Separately, DC's vaccine mandate for government workers goes into effect on September 19, but those guidelines allow people who don't get vaccinated to get weekly tests in lieu of a shot, according to NPR. The same goes for federal workers under President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate.