More than 700 Mayo Clinic employees throughout the U.S. are out of a job after failing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as a condition of employment, the nonprofit health organization said Wednesday.

All Mayo Clinic employees were instructed to receive at least one dose of a vaccine by Monday, and not be overdue for a second dose. Those who did not comply were released from employment Tuesday. These individuals made up approximately 1% of the Mayo Clinics total staff, a representative told HuffPost.

While Mayo Clinic is saddened to lose valuable employees, we need to take all steps necessary to keep our patients, workforce, visitors and communities safe, the medical clinic said in a statement, adding that the majority of medical and religious exemption requests were approved.

Based on science and data, its clear that vaccination keeps people out of the hospital and saves lives. Thats true for everyone in our communities and its especially true for the many patients with serious or complex diseases who seek care at Mayo Clinic each day, the clinic said.