July 28 - Updates on COVID-19

CAMPUS SNAPSHOT

McGaugh Hall by Steve Zylius/UCI

UCI UPDATES

UCI Medical Center among America’s Best Hospitals for 20 consecutive years

For the 20th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has recognized UCI Medical Center as one of America’s Best Hospitals. The annual rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients and conditions. This year, the report highlights the excellence of UCI Health programs in gynecology, No. 16; urology, No. 24; nephrology, No. 43; and geriatrics, No. 45 among similar programs nationally. The medical center is ranked No. 5 in the Los Angeles metropolitan region.

Two UCI deans opine on the coronavirus spread in the OC Register

Director and founding Dean of the Program in Public Health Bernadette Boden-Albala and Paul Merage School of Business Dean Eric Spangenberg share their expertise on the recent surge in the pandemic and flattening the curve, along with the impact to businesses in a recent opinion piece in the Orange County Register.

Positive cases and recoveries

Two previously positive employees have been clinically recovered. In some more good news, both Health and Campus positive cases are trending down over the past two weeks. A cumulative case count for UCI campus employees and students is maintained at www.uci.edu/coronavirus.

How to report a campus COVID case

Please use the following link to report suspected or confirmed COVID cases for campus-related employees: The link for reporting cases can also be found on the HR Coronavirus landing page and the Working Well™ landing page. For any question on this please contact your HR Business Partner.

UCPath resumes phone service

The UCPath Center staff in Riverside began providing phone service again starting July 27 for employees, location administrators, former employees, vendors and third parties. This support option is in addition to phone, online and email support offered by UCI’s local Employee Experience Center (EEC). The UCPath phone number is 855-982-7284, and business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND STORIES

2020-21 Parent & Family Guide now online

The UCI Parent & Family Guide provides helpful, timely information about your student’s college experience and connects you to relevant campus and community resources.

Should everyone wear a mask?

Face masks that cover the nose and mouth are required in public settings throughout California because they are very effective at curbing the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. But there are some people who cannot tolerate or are unable to wear masks. Children under age 2 should not wear masks, and even slightly older kids may have difficulty wearing them appropriately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with breathing difficulties also need to be cautious about face coverings, says Shruti Gohil, MD, MPH, a UCI Health infectious disease expert and associate medical director of epidemiology and infection prevention.

Revving up research

Back in mid-March, when COVID-19 became a worldwide crisis, UCI Health clinicians were poised to quickly begin working on possible treatments to tame the deadly virus. The prior summer, after three years of planning, the UCI Center for Clinical Research had opened. It heralded a new era in UCI Health’s efforts to expand access to breakthrough therapies by accelerating clinical trials – research studies seeking ways to prevent, detect and treat diseases.

Weathering the pandemic in an online class

When COVID-19 shifted the lives of University of California students to an online environment in March, students enrolled in Critical Investigations into Humanitarianism in Africa (CIHA) already had plans to be there. The curriculum draws from professor Cecelia Lynch’s decade-long project of the same name which has expanded engagements and ongoing dialogues with research institutes in Africa on topics including war, health, gender and religion, and governance. Given the severe stresses brought on by the pandemic, students enrolled in CIHA were offered the option of writing about their experiences and giving their advice for actual and would-be humanitarian actors during this time.

For immigrants, the real risks of virtual activities

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven society online. Virtual classrooms, Zoom video calls, online entertainment and so many other digital activities have become parts of everyday life. For immigrant communities, especially undocumented immigrants, connecting over the Internet also can be perilous. Adán Martinez Ordaz, a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology at UCI’s School of Social Sciences, is studying immigrants’ use of online platforms. He has seen how the Internet can simultaneously be a lifeline and an ensnaring net.

UCI COVID-19 VIRTUAL EVENTS

Remote Teaching Webinar Series

The Division of Teaching Excellence in Innovation (DTEI) Support Team will host several training webinars this week to help instructors prepare for virtual instruction, covering topics on student engagement, Zoom, Canvas and Yuja use for teaching.

Happiness: A Key to Life’s Satisfaction

As part of your UCI Human Resources Wellness Program, your Employee Assistance Program (EAP), ComPsych Guidance Resources®, offers live monthly work-life topic and program orientation webinars. The next one is July 30 from noon to 1 p.m., and is called Happiness: A Key to Life’s Satisfaction. Registration is required. If you register and are unable to attend, the same registration link may be used to watch the recorded version. Previous EAP webinars are also available to view on-demand.

UC UPDATES

Hospitals of University of California Health among best in nation

The hospitals of University of California Health once again have been rated among the best in the nation and the state, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020-2021 Best Hospitals rankings.

The science is in: Masks save lives and can help us safely reopen our communities

Masks can stop the spread of coronavirus. UC experts weigh in on why wearing a mask is so important in this 2-minute video.

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.

Ancient Greek theaters return to life in pandemic

Live concerts and events have been mostly canceled in Greece this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the Culture Ministry allowed the Epidaurus Theater in southern Greece and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens to host open air performances under strict safety guidelines.

Guatemala teacher pedals classroom to students in pandemic

When the novel coronavirus closed Guatemala’s schools in mid-March, teacher Gerardo Ixcoy invested his savings in a secondhand, adult tricycle. But this is not just transportation. It’s also a mobile classroom, with plastic sheets to protect against virus transmission, a whiteboard and a small solar panel that powers an audio player he uses for some lessons. Each day, the 27-year-old pedals among the cornfields of Santa Cruz del Quiché to give individual instruction to his sixth-grade students.

Dr. Anthony Fauci first-pitch baseball card breaks Topps sales record in just 24 hours

It was on sale for only 24 hours, but it broke company records. The Topps NOW limited edition baseball trading card featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of  the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, set an all-time print record runfor the franchise, selling 51,512 cards, the company said. The card sold for $9.99. The back of the card calls Fauci an “ardent Washington Nationals fan” and that his pitch “signaled the official start of the 2020 MLB season.”

COMMUNITY UPDATES & NEWS

Note: Some news organizations require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal for students, faculty and staff.

OC Board of Education considers suing the state over school shutdown

Members of the Orange County Board of Education are expected to discuss suing the state over the mandatory school shutdown at their meeting tonight. According to the agenda, members will be discussing potential litigation “regarding state orders and restrictions against reopening schools.” The item is listed for closed session discussion, meaning it won’t be publicly discussed because it is a legal matter. If the board decides to sue, or take any other action, it would be required to be announced at the end of the meeting.

California issues Employer Handbook for Reopening Safely

Governor Newsom’s workforce employer handbook provides guidance for employers to provide a safe, clean environment for workers and customers.

Google will let employees work from home until at least next summer

Google will let employees work from home until at least July 2021.

OC supervisor announces #MaskUpOC contest

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do Monday invited residents to find creative ways to encourage friends and family to wear a face covering by participating in a #MaskUpOC Contest. “Too many people are ignoring health experts’ advice to wear a face covering. Together, we can change that,” said the First District supervisor, who is vice chairman of the board. “We want eye-catching messages that are both informative and fun.”

Newport Beach sees multiple COVID-19 cases among firefighters, lifeguards

Ten firefighters and 11 lifeguards have recently tested positive for COVID-19 in Newport Beach.

UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List

Bloomberg, July 27, 2020
Colleges tap tech to calm students paying for remote classes

Forbes, July 28, 2020 (Contributor)
Online learning: How it defines education for students of all ages

Quartz, July 28, 2020
Trump is making home loans riskier during a housing crisis

Law.com, July 24, 2020 (Podcast)
Climbing a shaky career ladder: Rookie lawyers learn it’s hard to plan in a pandemic

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