April 1 - Updates on COVID-19

CAMPUS RESOURCES

REMINDER – Zoom-bombing Update

As universities return from Spring Break to remote learning environments, incidents of “Zoom-bombing” have been reported throughout the country. It’s important to note that UCI has procedures in place to secure remote meetings and does not tolerate the disruption of presenters, speakers, instruction and other university activities. Please see UCI’s guidance for the disruption of university activities for more detailed information.

Chemistry faculty launch antiviral research project

Faculty in UCI’s chemistry department are working with faculty across other disciplines to put their labs and research expertise to work in an effort to address public health challenges posed by the rapidly spreading COVID-19.

Campus Resources

UCI Teach Anywhere Webinars

The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation and the Office of Information Technology are partnering on a series of webinars to provide tools for teaching online. Please check the website for each week’s webinars.

Effective Communication in Science Teams Webinar

The UCI Institute for Clinical and Translational Science is offering a virtual workshop on April 15, 2020 at 10 a.m. Investigators from all disciplines seeking to enhance their virtual collaboration are invited through this registration link. The objective of the workshop is to assist teams in setting a precedent for communication for innovation. This is an online interactive workshop in which teams will gain insight into team science initiation, operations, and evaluation.

UC Updates

UC to Ease Admission Requirements due to Coronavirus

The University of California acted last night (March 31) to implement temporary measures which relax undergraduate admissions requirements for students looking to enroll at UC for fall 2020 and future years as applicable. These measures will help mitigate some of the extraordinary challenges students and their families face in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study reveals how long COVID-19 remains infectious on cardboard, metal and plastic

The virus that causes COVID-19 remains for several hours to days on surfaces and in aerosols, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found.

The study suggests that people may acquire the coronavirus through the air and after touching contaminated objects. Scientists discovered the virus is detectable for up to three hours in aerosols, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

COMMUNITY UPDATES AND NEWS

Centers for Disease Control and Protection

The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) has updated information to stop the spread of rumors about COVID-19. The CDC also has updated information about how to protect yourself. If you have concerns or questions about COVID-19, please visit these web sources to get the latest information. You can also sign up to receive email updates directly from the CDC.

CDC Weighs Advising Everyone to Wear a Mask

Widespread use of nonmedical masks could reduce community transmission. But recommending their broad use could also cause a run on the kind of masks that health care workers desperately need.

Riverside County Health Recommends to Always Cover Face When Outside

Riverside County health officials are recommending residents cover their nose and mouth when leaving home for essential travel to doctor appointments, grocery shopping or pharmacy visits.

California Hotline: (833) 544-2374

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the creation of a statewide hotline, so Californians have a one-stop shop to answer their COVID-19 questions and get assistance during this crisis. For example, those 65+ can use the 2-1-1 system to access grocery and medicine delivery services. The number is: (833) 544-2374.

Trailers Coming to Orange County for Homeless

The state is sending 78 trailers to Orange County, with Anaheim and Santa Ana receiving the bulk, to help house homeless people that need to be isolated or quarantined away from shelters.

Total Recovered

Johns Hopkins University has been tracking coronavirus globally and created a real-time graph with charts showing total COVID-19 cases confirmed, total deaths, and total cases recovered.