Time is up for unvaccinated health care workers to get vaccinated. The group had until midnight Monday to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or face immediate suspension.

The state’s health care COVID-19 vaccine mandate is in effect, which means unvaccinated health care workers across Long Island could be out of a job as early as this morning.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Monday night that expands the eligible health care work force and allows additional health care workers to administer COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.

The executive order also gives licensed health care workers from out of the state and country the ability to practice in New York. In addition, the order makes it easier for retirees and recent graduates to start working.

"Many of our member hospitals have been asking for these flexibility's and from the association perspective we and others have been advocating for them so this was really welcome news overnight and we'll see what happens in a couple of days," says president and CEO of the Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York Wendy Darwell.

Hochul said if there are not enough workers, she is also ready to bring in the National Guard to take their place.

A 24/7 Operations Center, led by the Department of Public Health, will monitor staffing operations and trends statewide. The center is offering help to solve shortages if they happen.

Long Island's health systems are dealing with it differently.

At Stony Brook Medicine, News 12 Long Island was told that 93% of employees have been vaccinated. Less than 200 are being suspended without pay. They will be meeting with labor relations to discuss their options.

At Mount Sinai-South Nassau, 65 employees remain unvaccinated and are now suspended without pay. They have been given one week to get vaccinated and return to work.

Catholic Health says a "vast majority" of its employees are vaccinated with a few hundred people placed on a two-week furlough. If they're still not vaccinated after that, they will be let go.

Northwell Health would not give News 12 Long Island specific numbers either but said, "We have begun a process to exit all unvaccinated team members using a carefully planned approach that both maintains continuity of care at all of our facilities and ensures the safety of all of our patients."

Nassau's Office of Emergency Management is being activated to help hospitals deal with possible staffing shortages.

Experts say in the middle of a public health crisis hospitals and health care facilities cannot do anything that could compromise the health system as a whole, like allowing employees to remain unvaccinated.

"Should they become ill and an outbreak of COVID happens among health care workers who otherwise would have prevented from getting ill with a vaccine, that runs the risk of jeopardizing the stability of the entire healthcare system," says Dr. K.C. Rondello, of Adelphi University.