July 2 - Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
UCI UPDATES
Mask up for the Fourth!
In tandem with the School of Medicine’s MaskUp social media campaign, in which students, staff, faculty and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (!) explain why they wear face coverings, we wish everyone a happy and healthyIndependence Day weekend. Protect family, friends and fellow citizens by avoiding large gatherings (especially indoors), maintaining physical distancing and wearing a mask. As Chancellor Howard Gillman noted in a letter to the campus today, such measures will help tame the pandemic and “avoid another complete lockdown, with its awful economic and social consequences. … I write to implore everyone in our UCI community to double down on your personal commitment to do your part to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Please note that this newsletter will not publish tomorrow, in observance of the holiday. Stay safe and we’ll see you Monday.
Two positive cases -- and some good news
Two graduate students living separately off-campus tested positive for COVID-19. Both are recovering in self-isolation at home. One had no contact with anyone on campus. The other’s contacts are being notified. UCI’s Student Health Center reports that all but three of UCI’s previous 16 student cases have recovered. Most infected students seen by the center “are clinically stable and recovering relatively quickly,” says Dr. Albert Chang, SHC’s medical director. A complete case count for UCI campus employees and students is maintained at www.uci.edu/coronavirus.
UCI COVID-19 VIRTUAL EVENTS
Virtual summer camp for kids
UCI REC’s summer program for kids is operating online this year. Youngsters in grades three to 11 can register for two weeklong camps running July 13-17 and July 20-24. Each day, the camps offer three one-hour sessions with such guided activities as cooking, drawing, STEM, do-it-yourself, photography and foreign language. For information, visit Campus Recreation Youth Programs.
HOPE, INSPIRATION, LAUGHTER
Amid the heartbreaking loss of life and economic hardship wrought by the coronavirus, we recognize the need for stories of kindness, hope, courage and humor.
Nudists wear just one item in COVID times
At some clothing-optional resorts, masks aren’t optional, presenting issues with tan lines and logistics. “If you’re wearing a face mask, are you really nude?” At one camp, a “Red, White & Nude Parade” of decorated golf carts is still set for July 4, but a naked skeet shooting event was canceled because participants stand shoulder to shoulder. Nude shuffleboard is still OK, but a monitor sanitizes the discs between pushes.
ICYMI: Past and present California governors do pro-mask video
The governator, aka Arnold Schwarzenegger, joins fellow Republican Pete Wilson and Democrats Jerry Brown, Gray Davis and Gavin Newsom in an amusing video to promote face coverings. (Are you detecting a theme in today’s COVID newsletter? There’s one more mask item in the next section.)
COMMUNITY UPDATES & NEWS
The medical case for reopening schools
Evidence suggests that kids rarely transmit the virus to adults, says an emergency medicine specialist. And youngsters rarely get sick themselves. Keeping schools closed also disproportionately hurts disadvantaged families.
Bars, restaurants pay price for California virus surge
A UCLA epidemiology professor said the new restrictions could be an “over response.” He said the state should consider other strategies designed to keep young people away from older people, who are more at risk for the virus.
Fever checks are a flawed way to flag Covid-19. Experts advise smell tests
In a recent study of 1,480 patients, a person with anosmia, an impaired sense of smell, was more than 10 times more likely to have Covid-19 than other infection symptoms.
Fear of hospitals during shutdown caused thousands of heart deaths
People with heart conditions who delayed or avoided hospital care drove a spike in deaths beyond those attributed to COVID-19, an analysis shows. In New York, the number of excess deaths attributed to coronary disease was more than 50 per day.
Trump says he looks like Lone Ranger in a mask - and he likes it
“I’m all for masks. I think masks are good,” the president said this week, adding that he has a black mask that makes him resemble the Lone Ranger.
Relief proposal could boost school/university funding
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Thursday that the Trump administration might give money to schools to better equip them for classes to begin in the fall.
Seal Beach and Huntington Beach to close July 4
The two cities decided to follow the lead of other Orange and Los Angeles county officials by closing beaches during the Fourth of July holiday.
USC reverses plan to hold in-person fall classes
Citing rising cases of coronavirus in Los Angeles County, the University of Southern California will switch to mostly online courses for undergraduates this fall.
Overcount in testing reported in Orange County
Orange County erroneously inflated its COVID-19 testing numbers for more than a month — logging 30,000 more tests than it should have — before the error was discovered and fixed, officials acknowledged this week.
New form of virus spreads faster, but doesn’t make people sicker
The new mutation makes the virus more infectious, but apparently doesn’t make people any sicker, an international research team reported.
UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List
Law.com, July 1, 2020
Online or in person? Law schools diverge in fall semester plans.
Ms. Magazine, July 2, 2020
Black-owned businesses closing at dramatically higher rates
Orange County Register, June 29, 2020
State puts Orange County on coronavirus watch list
Inside Higher Ed, July 1, 2020 (Blog)
Why behaving like big tech will not “save” higher education
Voice of OC, July 1, 2020
OC restaurant and theater operations curbed by governor as coronavirus cases spike
WABE, July 1, 2020 (Audio)
Election law expert, activist weigh in on addressing Georgia’s voting issues
Patch, July 1, 2020
UC Schools Of Medicine to interview applicants virtually
MORE INFORMATION
OC-COVID19.org - powered by UCI and UCI Health, a website devoted to providing timely, useful, evidence-based information about the novel coronavirus pandemic to our friends and neighbors across Orange County
UCI Coronavirus Information Hub - more information on campus status and operational updates
UCI Health COVID-19 Updates - important information related to UCI Health