January 27 - Updates on COVID-19

In addition to preventing infection and death by reducing your chances of getting sick, the COVID-19 vaccines also will prevent many long-lasting effects reported by some COVID-19 patients. #ThisisOurShot #UCIPride

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

New campus cases*

Three students and three employees have reported testing positive since yesterday. Active positive cases have declined to 76. Visit the UCI dashboard for additional data on case counts.

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.

Biden acts to expand COVID-19 vaccine distribution

President Biden announced that his administration will rush additional vaccine doses to states, territories and tribal governments and purchase 200 million more, ramping up its effort to inoculate more Americans more quickly. Under the plan, 10 million doses would be distributed each week for the next three weeks, up from the current 8.6 million.

OC launches COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Pilot Program

The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to establish the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Pilot Program, designed to improve direct access to vaccinations for individuals who live in the hardest-hit communities by the pandemic.

WHO team in Wuhan to begin long-delayed coronavirus investigation after clearing quarantine

Members of the 13-person international team ;will finish their two-week quarantine in the next 24 hours, stepping out into a city that was once the center of the global outbreak but is now, a year on, largely returned to normal. Scrutiny of the team'’'s work will be immense, as they navigate what is likely to be a political minefield in uncovering how the virus that brought much of the world to a halt first emerged.

C.D.C. officials say most available evidence indicates schools can be safe

Federal health officials weighed in with a call for returning children to the nation’s classrooms as soon as possible, saying the “preponderance of available evidence” indicates that in-person instruction can be carried out safely as long as mask-wearing and social distancing are maintained.

Cal State will not raise tuition for next academic year

The California State University announced it would not increase tuition this year for the system’s 485,000-plus students, amid pandemic-related hardships and higher than expected funding from the state.

Dr. Fauci: Double-masking is likely more effective

As Fauci explained, masks are physical coverings that prevent respiratory droplets from spreading to other people and provide a degree of protection to the wearer. Although the Centers for Disease Control has not recommended double masking yet, the practice generated buzz when people were seen wearing two masks at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Air quality order lifting limits on cremations expanded to OC

An emergency order suspending limits on the number of cremations allowed has been expanded to Orange County and extended in Los Angeles County. The South Coast Air Quality Management District typically only permits crematoriums to cremate a certain number of human remains each month to avoid impacts to air quality. The order was expanded to Orange County following a request from the OC Health Care Agency.

California measure aims to pay off 80% of most unpaid rent

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s top two legislative leaders pledged to pay off 80% of most people’s unpaid rent that has piled up during the coronavirus pandemic – but only if landlords agree to forgive the other 20%. The proposal, which must be approved by the Legislature, could wipe out potentially billions of dollars in debt hanging over renters in the nation’s most populous state by using federal relief money to compel landlords to forgive debt. It also would extend a law scheduled to expire next Monday that bans landlords from evicting people as long as they pay at least 25% of their rent.

California seizes control over struggling vaccine delivery

California is changing up the way it is delivering coronavirus vaccines, moving to a more centralized system that is expected to streamline appointment sign-up, notification, and eligibility for nearly 40 million residents who want to know when they can get a shot and where.

California public schools suffer record enrollment drop of 155,000 students

California’s K-12 public-school enrollment has precipitously declined during the pandemic, dropping by a record 155,000 students, according to new state projections. That drop-off is about five times greater than California’s annual rate of enrollment decline in recent years.

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.

Children interrupt BBC News interview

Remember this? It happened in 2017 but is more relevant today than ever.

#UCIconnected

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.