April 13 - Updates on COVID-19

One of the interesting architectural features of McGaugh Hall. Steve Zylius/UCI

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

Student housing and vaccine updates

Resident students who left campus for Spring Break, and returned at the start of the quarter have now completed their 10-day sequester period and can return to normal activities, in accordance with campus guidelines.

We encourage all students and members of the campus community to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Beginning April 15th all individuals 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID vaccine in California. For more information, see the 4/1/21 email from Vice Chancellor Willie Banks. The FRESH Basic Needs Hub is providing transportation support for students who need it.

No new campus cases*

No student residents or on-campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

UC Library Search

As one of the largest public university systems in the world, the University of California holds a vast collection of resources in its libraries. However, until now, each campus library used its own catalog, making it difficult for patrons to find items held at other campuses without using a separate search tool. Beginning July 27, UC Library Search will bring all UC campus libraries together into the same system, just as a public library system uses one catalog for its many branches.

UCI Podcast: California environmental justice advocates lead the way

On this episode of the UCI Podcast, Michael Méndez, an assistant professor of urban planning and public policy, talks about California’s leading role in the environmental justice movement, what he believes are the flaws of California’s cap and trade carbon emissions reduction system, and why the Green New Deal isn’t really that new.

‘New’ Transfer Student Center prepares to welcome students in Fall

As Student Success Initiatives (SSI) prepares to welcome students back for Fall 2021 and begins to recruit incoming students for summer and first year transition programs, we have officially re-established the Transfer Student Center (TSC). Previously housed within the SSI offices as the Transfer Student Hub, the TSC is now a stand-alone center located across the hall from the SSI offices on the second floor of the Student Services II Building (Suite 2100). We anticipate that students will be able to access the TSC when in-person instruction resumes this Fall.

Upcoming events

• UCI Teach Week will be held April 19-23, sponsored by the Division of Teaching Excellence & Innovation

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 to close two testing super sites on April 30

The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) will close its COVID-19 testing Super Sites at the OC Fair & Event Center and the Anaheim Convention Center on April 30, 2021. 

California lifts COVID-19 limits on indoor worship services

California on Monday lifted its limits on indoor worship services in the face of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that struck down the coronavirus public health mandates.

Is the California variant helping the state?

One factor that may be helping California — for reasons not fully understood — is the presence of the California variant. The California variant here might be helping to keep a lid on the U.K. variant, which is believed to be more transmissible than the conventional strains of the coronavirus.

CDC and FDA recommend pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccinations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are recommending the country pause the use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine after six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot.

Moderna defends its vaccine after J&J ‘pause’

Moderna Inc. defended the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday after federal health officials called for a ‘pause’ in using Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots.

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 Great Depression led to many of the hobbies we enjoy now - the pandemic created a whole host of new ones

In the 1930s, it was the game of Bridge that kept people busy during the Great Depression. In 2020, during the global pandemic, it was “Animal Crossing.” Birdwatching and playing games, popularized in the late 1920s and early 1930s, for example, remain common hobbies to this day. But tie-dyeing clothes, attending PowerPoint parties and partaking in TikTok challenges -- among the many hobbies that popped up in the last year -- may not be things that people do in the years to come.

#UCIconnected

Nga Nguyen, CN II, Neuroscience ICU

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 COVID-19 vaccination, 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.