Inpatient hospital staff at the Office of Mental Health and Office for People with Developmental Disabilities hospitals must receive their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by Nov. 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said. 

Hochul also announced those workers who are not vaccinated will receive weekly testing. 

"We want to make sure that we have safety in those as well," she said. 

The latest mandate for vaccinations of workers who care for the state's most vulnerable residents also comes as a vaccination requirement for health care workers in New York has faced multiple legal challenges. Workers who are not vaccinated in the health care sector do not have the option of submitting to weekly testing, and some have left their jobs as a result. 

Hochul on Tuesday in a news conference pointed to vaccination rates overall in the state at more than 90% at hospitals and other health care faciltiies in New York. But it is not clear how many health care workers have left their jobs or been furloughed as a result of the mandate. 

Still, Hochul noted the percentage rise in vaccinations overall has shown the mandate is sucessful. 

"We're seeing that those deadlines have a way of focusing the mind," she said.