UCI Forward

UCI Forward is our commitment to the well-being of our community as we ramp up campus operations. Working together, each of us doing our part, we can move UCI Forward.


Aug. 20- Vaccine safety for young people, students need to enroll in Duo

Section 1

A yellow and red rose. Photo by Ian Parker.

A yellow and red rose. Photo by Ian Parker.

Q&A Ask the Expert header

Each day, a UCI expert will answer one of your questions about COVID-19, vaccinations, variants or the future of work. Submit questions via email.

Today’s question is fielded by Professor Vladimir Minin, a statistician and infectious disease modeler:

I heard that young people are hospitalized for the vaccine more than they’re hospitalized for COVID-19. Is this true? If it is, I don’t see why I should get the vaccine.

The claim that more young people are hospitalized due to vaccine-induced adverse effects than due to COVID-19 illness is factually incorrect. First, vaccine trials clearly showed that the risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms that can result in hospitalization is much larger than the risk of developing adverse effects after vaccination. This result holds for all age groups studied — 12 years old and above. Moreover, millions of people, including adolescents, have been vaccinated, but only a very small number of adverse effects have been reported in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System that monitors these events across the U.S. In other words, the more people we vaccinate, the clearer we see that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. So, if you haven’t done so already, vaccinate as soon as you can to protect yourself and your community.

CAMPUS NEWS

Students: Enroll in Duo now so you don’t lose access to UCI accounts

Sign up for Duo before fall quarter to ensure you don’t lose access to important accounts linked to your UCInetID. Enrolling in Duo multi-factor authentication is quick and offers continuous protection for your essential UCI resources. Get Duo today! 

Watch this video to learn how to set up Duo, and follow these three simple steps:

  • Step 1: Download the Duo app on your mobile device (iOS or Android)
  • Step 2: Enable Duo on your device through the Duo Support Desk
  • Step 3: Login to any UCI account to test that Duo is working

That’s it! The next time you log in with UCInetID, Duo’s app will generate a notification on your mobile device. Hit the green check on your smart watch, phone or other device and you’re good to go.

UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS

UCI-led study finds disparities in O.C. rates of COVID-19 infection, mortality

Early in the pandemic, cases of COVID-19 were clustered in affluent coastal communities of Orange County, but then shifted northward and inland to cities like Santa Ana and Anaheim, according to an analysis led by UCI researchers. “A (global) pandemic is really made up of many local epidemics – each playing out according to local contextual factors,” said corresponding author Daniel Parker, an assistant professor of public health at UCI.

Honoring her ancestors: Alumna’s gift supports Western Armenian language instruction

As a young person, alumna Linda Shekerjian (B.A. drama ’93, English ’95) was mocked for her Armenian heritage, but when she arrived at UCI, she found a welcoming community. Since 2018, UCI has been home to one of the nation’s only programs teaching the endangered language of Western Armenian, and Shekerjian recently made an estate gift to the Center for Armenian Studies to help the program thrive.

UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS

Friday fun fact

Remote education: Almost nine of 10 graduate students were satisfied with the availability of courses to meet their degree requirements.

Even moderate COVID restrictions can slow the spread of virus — if they're timely

If implemented at the right time, moderate restrictions on the size of gatherings, and some level of mask requirements, can help slow a surge of COVID-19 cases, NPR reports. The insight comes from an analysis of state-by-state restrictions and COVID-19 caseloads in the U.S.

EVENTS

Excellent Sport: A Shakespeare Game Show
Sunday, 2 p.m. (co-sponsored by New Swan Shakespeare Center)

Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.

UCI IN THE NEWS

Increasingly, More Latinos Say They Don’t Fit In Census Boxes

KPBS, Aug. 20
Cited: Edward Telles, distinguished professor of sociology

UC Irvine professor speaks on contribution to 2021 climate change report

Irvine Weekly, Aug. 19
Cited: Michael Prather, professor of earth system science

An Alabama Doctor Is Refusing To See Patients Unvaccinated Against COVID-19. Can He?

HuffPost, Aug. 19
Cited: Aaron Kheriaty, a professor of psychiatry and director of the medical ethics program at UCI Health

#UCIConnected

UCI’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter wins prestigious award

The national academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa recently awarded the UCI chapter the Outstanding Public University Chapters Award. “The Phi Beta Kappa team works incredibly hard to empower and support students, and I’m happy to see that their efforts are being recognized and celebrated on such a public stage,” said Michael Dennin, vice provost for teaching and learning and dean of undergraduate education.

COVID-19 NOTIFICATION AND RESOURCES

One new campus case

No on-campus employees and one on-campus student tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

Vaccine records can be uploaded here:

Student Record Upload

Employee Upload Record

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.

For COVID-19 questions

UCI Forward - information on campus status and operational updates

UCI Health COVID-19 Updates - important information related to UCI Health

UCI Health COVID-19 FAQs

UCI Coronavirus Response Center - available at covid19@uci.edu or via phone at (949) 824-9918

Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services - assistance with vaccines and vaccine uploads; available at contacttracing@uci.edu or via phone at (949) 824-2300

Program in Public Health chatline - answers to questions about COVID-19

For questions specific to your personal health situation, please contact your doctor or healthcare provider.