FILE - This Saturday, March 6, 2021 file photo shows vials of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Denver. Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been saved from the trash after U.S. regulators extended their expiration date for a second time, part of a nationwide effort to salvage expiring shots to battle the nation's summer surge in infections. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 sent a letter to shot maker Johnson & Johnson declaring that the doses remain safe and effective for at least six months when properly stored.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

BOSTON (AP) — All employees at Massachusetts’ rest homes, assisted living residences, and hospice programs, as well as workers who provide in-home direct care services, are required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 31, the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday.

The plan expands on an announcement by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration last month that workers at skilled nursing facilities are required to get vaccinated.

The order is intended to protect older residents against COVID-19, the state said.

It affects workers at 62 freestanding rest homes and 268 assisted living residences, as well as 85 hospice programs and up to 100,000 home care workers. It also applies to contractors who work in such facilities.

The plan is subject to state Public Health Council approval.

Exemptions will be granted for people with a medical condition that prevents them from receiving a vaccination or with a sincerely held religious belief, the agency said.

An industry group, the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association, lauded the plan.

“We applaud this decision to protect everyone in Massachusetts assisted living communities — staff, residents, and their families. While most assisted living staff are vaccinated, this will further reinforce the safe and healthy environment that high rates of vaccination and robust infection control policies have helped us achieve,” organization President and CEO Brian Doherty said in a statement.

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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS

The number of new cases of COVID-19 increased by nearly 1,800 Wednesday while the number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts rose by 11.

The new numbers pushed the state’s confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 17,885 since the start of the pandemic, while its confirmed caseload rose to more than 711,000.

There were about 620 people reported hospitalized Wednesday because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with about 170 in intensive care units.

The average age of those who have died from COVID-19 was 75.

The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick.

More than 4.5 million people in Massachusetts have been fully immunized against COVID-19.