Florida doctor REFUSES to treat patients who haven't been vaccinated against COVID-19 as Indian 'Delta' variant surges

• Dr. Linda Marraccini says the policy is intended to protect patients who are immunocompromised 
• The policy goes into effect on September 15 and patients who refuse to get vaccinated still have the option of remote telemedicine 
• It comes as the state is grappling with its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic
• It may also come into conflict with the state's vaccine passport ban, which bars businesses from requiring proof of vaccination or otherwise risk a fine 
• So far about 53.5 percent of the Florida's population has been fully vaccinated 

A Florida doctor says she will no longer treat patients in person if they are unvaccinated against Covid-19. 

Dr. Linda Marraccini said the decision was intended to protect her immunocompromised patients, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, and who are at a greater risk of infection. 

The policy goes into effect on September 15, and patients who refuse to get vaccinated, she says, have the option of remote telemedicine treatment or finding another primary care doctor. 

It comes amid the state's worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic, driven largely by the spread of the Indian delta variant.

As of the last week in August, 705 new cases were being reported per 100,000 people, and the state was averaging 244 deaths from the virus per day, according to the CDC. 

In a positive sign that Florida's surge might be subsiding, however, hospitalizations from Covid-19 have dropped over the past two weeks from more than 17,000 to 14,200 on Friday. 

'I understand that people are free to choose, but to me, it’s a problem when it affects other people,' Marraccini, whose family practice is based in South Miami told NBC 6. 

She says only about 10 to 15 percent of her patients are hesitant about taking the vaccine, and for those people she said she gave them a month to figure out their plan going forward. 

'When it comes to the safety of others, when it comes to the fact that it’s a global health problem and community health problem, at this point, I really say that this is where it draws the line in the sand for me,' she told the station. 

Overall about 53.5 percent of Florida's total population has been vaccinated. 

Additionally, nationwide, the country continues to see a surge in coronavirus cases with a seven-day moving average of 153,000 new cases over the past week, a 4.9percent increase over the previous week 

Marraccini insists the policy, which she announced to her patients and a letter she sent last month, is not a violation of the Hippocratic Oath, which is a code of ethics taken by doctors promising to do no harm to patients. 

'The Hippocratic Oath is very science-based. I am following the science. I'm applying this to the benefit of the sick,' she told Newsweek, noting that the decision was intended to protect the most vulnerable of her patients whom she was fearful could be exposed to the virus at her office.

She also says she is willing to make exceptions for people who are unable to get vaccinated or those who just need prescriptions filled, the outlet reported.

'We're not going to leave them out there in the cold,' she said. 

While Marraccini says the decision was motivated by science and not politics, she said individuals had the responsibility to help end the pandemic by getting vaccinated, telling Newsweek that it, 'did not have to go on this long.' 

'There’s been millions of deaths globally so that’s not something to ignore. People are getting to the point where everybody knows somebody that died from COVID,' Marraccini told NBC. 

'This is a problem that really everyone needs to help out with, and it’s affecting our collective communal health.' 

Her policy, however, may come into conflict with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on vaccine passports, which goes into effect on September 16.

Businesses that ask for proof of vaccination may be fined up to $5,000, but in Marraccini's case the law may be hard to enforce.

'I don’t believe you can treat a medical clinic the same way you can a business,' Attorney Juan Carlos Planas told NBC. 

Critically, he said, Marraccini's medical argument may protect her from legal ramifications. 

'She lays out in a medical way how exactly she wants to protect her staff and she specifically states that no medical professional has found many people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons,' Planas said.