March 24 - Updates on COVID-19

Some people experience a day or two of flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, chills, fever and muscle/joint aches. But that doesn’t mean they’re infected or contagious. Rather, such symptoms mean their body is developing the immune response needed to protect against COVID-19. The vaccine cannot give a person COVID-19. #SleevesUpUCI #UCIForward

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

Day 6: No new campus cases*

No student residents or campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the sixth consecutive day with zero new cases reported. Keep up the good work following COVID safety guidelines! For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

UCIMC reports fewest COVID patients since last March

The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized at UCI Medical Center dropped to five this week, according to UCI Health officials. “Our hospital has not seen single digit in-house patient cases since March 2020,” CEO Chad T. Lefteris said.

Virtual reality seen as next frontier in online learning

A UCI doctoral candidate is researching how virtual reality could mimic the experience of in-person instruction, and then some. “In virtual spaces, you’re not limited to just a classroom,” he says. “You can create fully explorable and interactive environments.”

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 and L.A. could move into orange tier next week

If current numbers hold, the state’s largest and third-largest counties will qualify to further loosen restrictions next week. In Orange County, the number of ICU cases shrank to a new low on Tuesday (40), according to a county hospitalization/ICU chart that shows COVID numbers since May 27.

Should you ‘fake commute’ to remote work?

Creating a buffer between job and personal time offers psychological and physical benefits, experts say.

Disneyland ride capacity could plunge under new rules

Updated state guidelines will keep indoor attractions at reduced capacity levels indefinitely and could force theme parks to keep some rides closed.

Santa Ana schools to remain closed through June

Thanks to a Tuesday school board vote, Santa Ana will be the only Orange County city not to send students back to the classroom for at least part of the 2020-21 school year.

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.

20 of the weirdest inventions of the last two decades

Necktie flasks, ostrich pillows, dogbrellas, baby mops and other strange inventions made the cut for this Mental Floss list.

#UCIconnected

Finding a few silver linings

Jack Lockhart retired in 2009 after 41 years at UCI, but his wife is still working and when her company went remote last spring, it led to some disruptions at home. For starters, Lockhart lost access to the couple’s home computer during work hours and even adjusted his sleep schedule to avoid being in the background during his wife’s Zoom conference calls. The first silver lining, he says, was that “my wife and I were able to work out a loving compromise with no hard feelings.”

Disruption No. 2 affected Lockhart’s pre-COVID outings to run errands, go fishing or take joyrides. “When the pandemic hit, the last two items came to a screeching halt,” he writes. But the silver lining “is that we have a lot more money in our coffers and have used that extra money to pay off existing debt.” Which led to a third silver lining: “Because of our unexpected early debt reduction, my wife will be able to retire two years earlier than previously planned. The saying goes: ‘Happy wife, happy life.’”

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.