The Air Force on Tuesday said it has approved nine religious exemptions from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 3,000 requests have been rejected so far. According to data from the Air Force, eight of the exemptions to the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate were granted after being submitted, and a further religious exemption was approved after an appeal. A total of 3,222 religious accommodation requests have been rejected, and the Air Force is processing 2,556 pending requests for exemptions and 732 pending appeals. The Air Force is the second U.S. military branch to approve religious exemptions to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine, although the nine approved so far represent just a tiny fraction of the more than 6,400 requested by Air Force troops. “The Department of the Air Force determined the service members’ accommodations could be supported with no impact to mission readiness,” a statement Tuesday said. The Marine Corps …