New Jersey has spent at least $9.5 million testing state workers for COVID-19 since Gov. Phil Murphy mandated weekly swabs for unvaccinated public employees returning to the office last fall, according to records obtained by Gothamist.

The governor’s vax-or-test rule applied to state employees as they resumed in-person duties beginning October 18th. Gothamist obtained a ledger of payments the state made to its primary testing provider, Vault Health, through a public records request to understand how many taxpayer dollars have gone toward testing public workers, about 26% of whom are unvaccinated.

Gothamist also obtained a breakdown of vaccination rates for the state’s 77,000 employees, which show most departments and agencies have fully inoculated more than 70% of their staff, according to the governor’s office. The Department of Corrections and NJ Transit have the lowest rates at 41% and 61% respectively. The Turnpike Authority and State Police also ranked toward the bottom with only 64% and 65%, respectively, taking all their recommended shots.

Records show departments and agencies spent $9.5 million on testing-related costs from mid-October through February. Overall, New Jersey has spent about $154 per employee on testing, and the costs per capita for each office correlate with its vaccination rate, as one might expect. More shots equal less spending on testing per person. About 20,000 state workers remain unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

WNYC host Michael Hill spoke with New Jersey reporter Karen Yi about the documents and what they mean as the state begins its move to reopen. Click listen in the player, and for more details on the story, visit Gothamist.