Over 200 University of Virginia Students Disenrolled For Failing to Adhere to University’s Vaccination Requirement

The University of Virginia has disenrolled 238 students ahead of the fall semester due to the latter failing to adhere to the university’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement, according to university officials.

University’s spokesman, Brian Coy told ABC News that the vaccination requirement was announced on May 20, with the deadline set on July 1.

“Since then, students received multiple reminders about this policy and the need to either be vaccinated or request a medical or religious exemption. Students who remained out of compliance after the deadline received multiple communications in the form of emails, texts, phone calls, and in some cases phone calls to their parents,” Coy said.

Coy stressed that among the 238 students, only 49 were enrolled in university’s programs, while 189 might not have even planned to attend university in the fall semester, Erudera.com reports.

He added that students had been informed about vaccination policy through the university’s digital platforms and their daily news, student newspaper, as well as Virginia’s local media, which have also reported about the requirement.

According to a university’s press release, nearly 96.6 percent of the student population at UVA is already vaccinated. Furthermore, a total of 335 permanent vaccine waivers were provided to students exempted due to religious or medical reasons, whereas 184 temporary vaccine waivers were granted to unvaccinated students planning to get a vaccine once they arrive on campus.    

“If you’re unvaccinated, we ask that you wear a mask at all times — indoors or outdoors — whenever you’re around people. Anyone unvaccinated and has an exemption will have to test once a week, we’re starting once a week: That might go up,” Coy told CNN.

According to the current COVID-19 policy of the University of Virginia, all students living, learning, or working in person at the university must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for the 2021/22 academic year. The university pointed out those students who fail to be vaccinated until August 25 will not be permitted to pursue studies in the fall semester.

Statistics published on the university website show that there will be more than 18,000 undergraduates and more than 9,000 graduate students for the fall semester.

According to the federal data, the US has recorded the highest single-day rise in Coronavirus cases in about seven months overnight. The average of daily COVID-19 cases in the United States has reached 133,000 per day, marking an increase of 14 percent during the last week.