March 9 - Updates on COVID-19

CAMPUS SNAPSHOT

Flora and fauna hugging Engineering Gateway on a clear day. Steve Zylius/UCI.

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

New campus cases*

No new cases were reported Monday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

‘Infodemic’ can impact memories and beliefs about COVID’s impact

A new review finds the abundance of accurate and inaccurate pandemic information, or “infodemic,” can impact people’s memories and beliefs about COVID-19’s impact.

UC NEWS

UC summit will focus on student involvement in ending global hunger

The University of California is hosting a free online summit focused on the role college students can play in ending world hunger. The theme for the 2021 Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit is One Health, One Planet. With a focus on involving students in sustainable solutions to end world hunger, the virtual summit will feature experts from across the United States speaking on topics related to human health, the health of the planet and their inherent connectivity.

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.

Inside the COVID-19 recession, one of the most unequal in modern history

While many middle and high-income workers are back at work, the country’s low-wage workers are still suffering from a recession that has annihilated their jobs.

Stimulus check for family of 4 could be $5,600; vaccine surplus expected soon; more schools opening up

If the U.S. approves the stimulus bill Wednesday and President Joe Biden signs it by March 14, the first direct deposits payments of up to $1,400 per person may start hitting bank accounts the week of March 22, based on prior relief plans. Paper checks may be sent out the week of March 29. Dependents are worth $1,400, too, meaning a family of four that fully qualifies will see a payout of $5,600.

Long Beach opens vaccine eligibility to people aged 16 to 64 with disabilities

The City of Long Beach on Monday started making COVID-19 vaccines available to residents aged 16 to 64 with disabilities. The city expanded the vaccine eligibility to the group earlier than March 15, which is when California state officials said providers will begin vaccinating people with developmental or high-risk disabilities. Long Beach residents with disabilities are being vaccinated without an appointment at the Long Beach Convention Center between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to the city.

WHO says ‘vaccine passports’ for travel has ethical considerations

The World Health Organization expressed concern over using so-called “vaccine passports” for international travel, saying it isn’t fair to millions of people in part due to vaccine access not being available on an equitable basis.

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.

The world’s oldest living person will carry the Olympic flame

Kane Tanaka, the world’s oldest living person, who at the tender age of 118 is planning to carry the Olympic torch this May in Japan. Tanaka, who has twice survived cancer and lived through two global pandemics, will take the flame as it passes through Shime in her home prefecture of Fukuoka. Tanaka was born in 1903, just a few years after the modern Olympic Games began in 1896.

#UCIconnected

With support from UCI Student Affairs, student Karishma Muthukumar, who is UCI’s Dalai Lama scholar and a Barnes & Noble College Scholar, led a campuswide call for letters of support to UCI students. The initiative was part of The All-truism project, and more letters can be found on Instagram. All-truism (“we can all be true”) is a new project supported by the Barnes & Noble Scholarship that aims to create connections through community, compassion and the creative arts.

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.