January 20 - Updates on COVID-19

CAMPUS SNAPSHOT

Don’t worry, your vision is fine. It’s just fog on campus. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

No new campus cases*

For the first time since mid-November, no new student or employee COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday. Keep up the safe practices, everyone. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

No more COVID tests at Bren Events Center

Effective today, the Bren Events Center will no longer host asymptomatic COVID testing. Students with existing appointments will need to reschedule for another campus site and will receive email instructions. The Bren has been converted to a vaccination site.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

Watch: First vaccinations at Bren Events Center

UCI’s Bren Events Center became one of the first vaccination sites in Orange County over the weekend, offering the COVID-19 vaccine to more than 2,700 UCI Health patients aged 65 years and older.

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.

Did outdoor dining ban contribute to virus surge?

The mayor of Chicago and a UCSF infectious disease expert suggest that closing restaurants inadvertently pushed people toward riskier, unregulated home gatherings.

COVID death rate declined in California, even amid surge

The death rate from COVID-19 has been steadily declining in California. Data shows that the downward trend continued from October through December, even during the worst of the recent surge, as hospitals were overwhelmed. The drop in case fatality ratios occurred across all age groups and was especially notable among those over age 50.

Crowdsourced website tracks where to get vaccinated

Amid frustration over California’s confusing vaccine rollout, a crowdsourced project – helmed entirely by volunteers – has emerged as an attempt to provide comprehensive information about where and when people can get vaccinated. Over the last few days, more than 200 volunteers for VaccinateCA have been calling hospitals, pharmacies and other medical centers to compile information about each California county’s vaccination availability.

State ban on high school sports set to end next week – for now

California’s COVID-19 suspension of youth sports competitions is expected to end next week, but the state’s top public health official voiced reservations about the timeline and said it could change. The decision will affect when high school athletes can get back on the field. The state is in talks with the California Interscholastic Federation, the organization that oversees high school sports, about when students can return to play.

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.

Carjacker realizes kid was left in back seat, returns to scold mom

The thief even threatened to call the police on her. Then, after giving back the child, he kept the car and drove off.

5-year-old makes cards for 200 isolated seniors

“I got an idea of making cards for the people in the nursing home who cannot go out and meet their friends and family,” Aryana Chopra said. The youngster spent almost two weeks on the project, decorating each card with a unique combination of rainbows, snowmen, kids and special New Year’s messages. Then she broke open her piggy bank to buy them a gift.

#UCIconnected

Julia M. Bingham represented UCI with a School of Engineering face mask during a bike ride to Bommer Canyon last weekend. Bingham is associate director of career services for the school’s professional master’s programs.

If you have a shoutout, or if you’d like to share what you’ve been up to during the pandemic, send photos and/or words about your activities, workstation, volunteering, etc., to marketing@uci.edu or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.

EXPOSURE NOTIFICATION

* Potential workplace exposure: UCI provides this notification of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure. Employees and subcontractors who were in these locations on the dates listed may have been exposed to the coronavirus. You may be entitled to various benefits under applicable federal and state laws and University-specific policies and agreements. The full notification is available on the UCI Forward site. If you have been identified as a close contact to a COVID-19 case, the UCI Contact Tracing Program will contact you and provide additional direction.