Health care workers are rallying in Suffolk Wednesday to protest the state's vaccine mandate that went into effect Tuesday.

The group stood outside the welcome center right off Exit 51 on the Long Island Expressway with flags and signs in hand.

News 12 spoke with two unvaccinated workers from the Peconic Bay Medical Center who got fired. They along with others say, 'it's my body, my choice.'

The two workers say they are going to continue to fight the mandate.

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Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Health Department say 92% of hospital workers on Long Island have received at least one dose. Nursing home staff is at 92% and adult care facility staff is at 89% for having at least one dose.

The Department of Health says it's seeing an increase in vaccinations among health care workers with the state's mandate in place. The governor also says there are resources to replace non-compliant health care workers.

But a spokesperson for Peconic Bay Medical Center says, “the employees are not nurses they are unit secretaries. Second, any impacted employees were called and encouraged to come to the office to discuss the matter at hand, and these individuals both ultimately did.”