November 12 - Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
Indoor vs. outdoor gatherings on our holiday risk-o-meter. Scroll down for tips to stay healthy over Thanksgiving break.
TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES
No new cases
No COVID-19 cases have been reported since our last newsletter. Visit the UCI Forward dashboard for case count and testing numbers.
UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS
Holiday parties: How to lower your COVID risk
UCI Health experts have put together guidelines for staying healthy this holiday season. Another handy tool calculates the coronavirus risk for gatherings anywhere in the U.S. You set the size of your group, then hover over the location of your event on the map to find the estimated risk level.
GENERAL COVID-19 NEWS
This section curates noteworthy coronavirus news, trends and opinions. No endorsement by UCI is implied. Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and OC Register for students, faculty and staff
OC stays in red tier as three metrics improve
The county righted its course after two weeks of rising COVID-19 case rates had threatened to put it on a path back toward the most-restrictive purple tier. County officials have traced a handful of infections to students returning to campus at UCI, but not anywhere near the hundreds of students infected at other universities.
Santa Ana testing site sees COVID positivity rate jump
A drive-thru coronavirus testing site in Santa Ana has seen its positivity rate more than double. The one-week positivity rate at the site, which is run by UCI, increased from 8.9% to 20%, UCI Health reported Wednesday.
Poll: Fewer than half of Americans would obey new lockdowns
Just under half of Americans (about 49%) said they would be very likely to stay home for another month if health officials recommended it.
Jobless aid applications fall to lowest number since March
The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week to 709,000, the lowest figure since March and a sign that the job market might be slowly healing.
Dinner parties and casual gatherings help fuel virus surge
The rise is being driven partly by casual occasions that may feel deceptively safe, scientists warn — dinner parties, game nights, sleepovers and carpools.
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.
Belgium exempts St. Nick from COVID restrictions
Health officials say St. Nicholas can ignore nighttime curfew rules while delivering presents, but he still should wear a mask.
Making friends during a pandemic is tough. Two college students created a website to help
Quarantine Buddy, founded by a pair of Cornell University students, matches people from around the world based on their background and interests, and they meet virtually.
#UCIconnected
What have you been up to during the pandemic? Send photos and/or words about your activities, workstation, volunteering or academic adventures to marketing@uci.edu or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.