UConn has approved more than 500 students for nonmedical COVID-19 vaccine exemptions, drawing criticism from a top Connecticut health care official

More than 500 UConn students who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will return to classes this fall after being granted exemptions from the university’s vaccine requirement for nonmedical reasons, according to recently filed court documents, a move that has drawn condemnation from a top Connecticut health care official.

As of July 23, UConn had received 771 nonmedical vaccine exemption requests, according to court documents. So far, the school has approved 504 of the requests.

UConn said in a written statement Tuesday the remaining 267 nonmedical exemption requests are under review. The school has also received and approved 55 medical exemption requests, which require a doctor’s notice, as of July 22. So far, no exemption requests have been denied, the university said.

State Healthcare Advocate Ted Doolittle called the university’s decision to grant hundreds of students nonmedical COVID-19 vaccine exemptions “irresponsible,” particularly as the spread of increasingly infectious coronavirus strains — like the delta variant — heightens their chances of getting sick.

The filings, first reported by Connecticut Public, are part of an ongoing lawsuit between the UConn Board of Trustees and several students and families who argue the university’s policy requiring COVID-19 vaccines for students violates state and federal law, as well as the U.S. Constitution. But the state attorney general’s office argues the accusers lack standing to sue, since they have either received a vaccine exemption or never sought to get one in the first place.

A 230 page-plus document filed Monday describes UConn’s objective as “to accommodate as many requests as possible while balancing the need to protect the health and safety of the UConn community.”

School policy states that all students who wish to attend any on-campus activities must either submit proof to UConn that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or apply for and be granted an exemption. To request a nonmedical exemption, students must fill out an online form and include a statement explaining why they want one.

“The Vaccine policy does not mandate vaccination of any student against his or her will,” the court document states. “Any student who does not wish to be vaccinated may apply for an exemption or choose not to attend UConn in person at this time.”

Residential students who are not vaccinated are instructed to get tested for COVID-19 several days before arriving on campus, as well as quarantine for a week after moving in, the university said. Then they will be tested again and must participate in surveillance testing on a weekly basis throughout the school year. Unvaccinated, nonresidential students must follow similar instructions. If unvaccinated students come into contact with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case, they will have to undergo medical quarantining.

As of July 28, 87% of Storrs residential students are either partially or fully vaccinated. Data regarding the vaccination status of students living off campus or attending a regional campus is expected to be published Aug. 11, according to UConn’s COVID-19 dashboard.

According to hospital officials, an overwhelming majority of the coronavirus patients they are currently treating are unvaccinated, and state data show that unvaccinated residents are 17 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated residents, even as breakthrough cases increase. All of Connecticut’s eight counties are designated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as areas of “substantial” community transmission.

Doolittle said the school should not force students to get vaccinated against their will, but it should have unvaccinated students attend classes remotely, rather than in person.

“We’ve spent the last year-and-a-half developing ways for kids to go to school remotely, so you’re not denying anyone a shot at that UConn degree,” he said. “But let’s get all these kids to graduation without the virus in their body.”

Doolittle added: “We don’t know what the long-term impact of getting even asymptomatic COVID is. ... You don’t want to wait and see what COVID can do 20, 30, 70 years from today.”

Storrs residential students are expected to begin moving in Aug. 27. The school is making nearly 90% of its total housing capacity in Storrs available to students, and UConn’s budget assumes at least 85% of on-campus housing slots will be filled. In a typical school year, about 12,300 students live on campus.

All students, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks indoors, UConn said.

“In the case of an outbreak of COVID-19 on any of our campuses, individuals who are not vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus may be excluded from the affected campus until the outbreak is declared over,” the school added.

Amanda Blanco can be reached at ablanco@courant.com.