April 28 - Updates on COVID-19

TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES

Face coverings still required at UCI

Although the CDC has relaxed its guidance regarding face coverings for fully vaccinated people, UCI’s executive directive on face coverings still requires face coverings on UCI-controlled property. While California plans to align state guidelines to reflect the CDC changes, UCI must still comply with Cal OSHA regulations, which at this time maintain a requirement for face coverings. UCI will continue to review federal and state guidance and regulations, as well as campus conditions, and update campus guidelines accordingly. Please remember that while on campus or on any UCI property, including the medical center and other UCI offices or medical facilities, all persons are required to comply with the face covering executive directive (which allows for certain exemptions and accommodations).  

UCI Giving Day 

No matter the size of your gift, your participation in UCI Giving Day directly supports students, faculty, staff and programs around the university. With literally hundreds of worthy causes, your contribution is sure to make an impact. If you are not in a position to support UCI financially at this time, you can still help by sharing your favorite campaign pages with your family, friends and network.

Campus web search upgrade

The UCI.edu search application has been upgraded to Google Programmable Search. This means a better search experience on UCI websites, with results driven by Google’s ubiquitous algorithm.

No new campus cases*

No student residents or on-campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. As of yesterday, 2,853 students have uploaded their vaccine records to the Student Health portal. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

Using science to serve nature

At UCI natural reserve sites, researchers, students and volunteers address ecological challenges.

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.

New mask guidance draws line between vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans

New guidelines from the CDC regarding when people can safely shed their masks make the benefits of vaccination abundantly clear. Instead of focusing on the serious and potentially deadly risk of COVID-19 to those who aren’t immunized, they emphasize the extent to which those who are can return to an almost-normal life.

MRNA vaccines reduce COVID hospitalization risk by 94% among older adults

The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were found in the real world to be 94% effective against COVID-19 hospitalization among fully vaccinated adults ages 65 and older in the United States, according to a new CDC study.

California prepares to relax outdoor mask rules for fully vaccinated people

California said Tuesday in a statement it is "moving to align" the state guidance with the CDC’s new mask guidelines that relax the rules for people who have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. 

Orange County remains in orange tier 

Orange County's weekly averages for COVID-19 metrics will keep it in the orange tier of the state's economic re-opening system, although it meets two of three categories for the least-restrictive yellow tier, according to figures released Tuesday.

L.A. County hits yellow tier marker

Los Angeles County has one foot in the most lenient tier of the state’s COVID-19 reopening system, a momentous achievement for a region that was once so ravaged by the coronavirus that it was considered the epicenter of the pandemic in California. 

CDC director sees 'a really hopeful decline' as COVID cases in the US fall

Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a briefing Tuesday that there have been declines across the board, with new cases, hospitalizations and daily deaths all falling over the past seven days.

No sign of infection after test concert in Spain, researchers say

Around 5,000 music fans took part in the experiment after testing negative for COVID-19. Six people tested positive within 14 days of attending the gig in Barcelona, a lower rate than seen in the general population. Researchers concluded that four of them were infected elsewhere, not at the event itself.

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.

Chihuahua who went viral due to a brutally honest adoption ad finds a home

Two-year-old Prancer became an internet sensation earlier this month when his exhausted foster carer, Tyfanee Fortuna, posted a rant about his many negative traits -- calling him a “man-hating, child-hating gremlin” who “created a demonic Chihuahua hellscape in her home.” After desperately trying to find him a full-time owner, the dog finally has a forever home. “Prancer is a distant nightmare to me now,” she says.

#UCIconnected

Motivation for vaccination

Grace Lee, a senior majoring in biochemistry & molecular biology and minoring in public health, as well as an equipment manager at the UCI Health vaccine clinic, explains the many reasons why she got the COVID vaccine: “I trust science. I want to do my part in keeping the community safe, and many of my loved ones are immune-compromised. I am grateful and excited for the vaccine site workers. And I look forward to being with my parents in the summer, who are also vaccinated. We haven’t seen each other since the pandemic began.”

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.