June 24 - Statements on reproductive rights ruling; kids under 5 and boosters
Section 1
Lights! Bard! Action! Anticipation (and the set) is building for this summer’s New Swan Shakespeare Festival. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
In this continuing series, UCI experts answer questions about COVID-19, vaccinations, variants or the future of work. Submit questions via email.
Today’s question is answered by Suellen Hopfer, assistant professor of public health (via Motherly).
Will kids under 5 eventually need a booster?
Yes. It is unknown how much time it may take for the protective effects of the vaccine to wane. For this reason, layered protection, i.e., combining other protective strategies is important, such as having parents and older siblings vaccinated to prevent exposure in very young children.
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Chancellor Howard Gillman’s statement on today’s Supreme Court ruling
“This morning’s Supreme Court decision overruling a precedent of almost 50 years protecting a woman’s right to choose abortion is tremendously consequential for tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people in this country,” Chancellor Gillman says. “It is important to underscore that UCI will continue to recognize the right of women to choose abortion as required by California law and as guided by the ethical obligations of our healthcare providers — including those in our Student Health Center — who consider reproductive rights to be healthcare rights.” The chancellor’s full remarks include links to statements on the decision by Dr. Michael Stamos, dean of the School of Medicine, and UC President Michael Drake.
Who benefits from brain training, and why?
If you are skilled at playing a certain puzzle on a handheld device (something psychologists call “near transfer”), can you be expected to quickly learn a new puzzle or, more broadly, focus better in school or at work (a.k.a. “far transfer”)? Yes, reports a study in Nature Human Behavior by UCI and UC Riverside researchers. Understanding the connection can lead to a new generation of working-memory training games.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
Friday fun fact
Summer school: Almost 90% of UC undergraduates say taking summer courses is important to graduating on time. For the data, click on the link and then the “Summer sessions importance” tab.
Kids 6 to 17 now have second COVID-19 vaccine option
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today it is recommending Moderna shots as an option for school-age kids and teens, a group that has been able to get the Pfizer vaccine since last year. Moderna officials say they expect to offer boosters to those 6 to 17 later.
Orange County is 72% vaccinated as of June 23
The OC Health Care Agency reported 2,324,587 county residents were fully vaccinated as of Thursday. That represents about 72% of the county’s total population. There have also been 1,329,788 booster doses administered.
EVENTS
Transfer BOOST - Time Management & the Quarter System
Tuesday, 1 p.m. (sponsored by Student Success Initiatives)
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
Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.
The Supreme Court Has Struck Down Roe V. Wade
BuzzFeed, June 24
Cited: Aziza Ahmed, professor of law
Why the Democrats’ likely poor midterm performance this year may be of their own and Joe Biden’s making
London School of Economics Blog, June 21
Author: Bernard Grofman, Distinguished Professor of political science and Jack W. Peltason Chair of Democracy Studies
The betrayal of Hong Kong
New Statesman, June 22
Cited: Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of history
#UCICONNECTED
Thankful for all the incredible women in our athletics department! #TitleIX #TogetherWeZot From Twitter/@UCIAthletics
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