April 13 - Updates on COVID-19

CAMPUS UPDATES

UCI Health Receives a Drive-by Salute

Over the weekend, UCI Health received a drive-by salute. It was organized by the co-founder of Forever Footprints Kristyn von Rotz, who suffered a miscarriage and was grateful for the care she received during that time from UCI Health. She would later co-found Forever Footprints to support other mothers who suffer the same loss. See photos of the salute.

Face Coverings for Essential Employees

In order to assist campus departments in providing face coverings to essential workers, EH&S will be scheduling PPE/cotton face covering pick up services on the dates listed below. Once you receive an email confirmation, please go to EH&S to pick up the face coverings. When picking up the supplies, please adhere to appropriate social distancing practices.

HOW: Have your supervisor email a request with the department name and number of employees to safety@uci.edu. EH&S will respond with a pick up day and time for the request.

WHERE: Environmental Health & Safety Department (4600 Health Sciences Road - Building 41 on the campus map)

DATES: April 13 through April 17, from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Week of April 20 - Pickups are available at Facilities Management
Shop stores or send request to safety@uci.edu

Note: Student Affairs will be distributing face coverings to students. EH&S pick-ups are for campus essential employees only.

There is still time to sign up for Spring Esports Intramurals

To allow for maximum time for team formation, please visit IMLeagues.com/UCI to create an account and register for free. For the staff and faculty league, we will be offering online Scrabble. Registration for Scrabble ends on Sunday, April 19 at 11:59 p.m. Staff and faculty are also eligible to sign up for the other IM esports tournaments and compete against students. For more information, please look at the UCI Esports Intramurals page or email UCI Esports at esports@uci.edu.

Graduate Division Offers Webinar on Racial Inequality During a Pandemic

SEMINAR: Racial Violence and Restorative Engagement in a Time of Pandemic
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Graduate Division Offers Some Tips on Working from Home

The Graduate Division is offering a seminar for its students who are experiencing productivity challenges in working from home. The seminar on this topic being donated by executive coach Ali Levin, Thursday, April 16 from noon - 1 p.m. Make sure to register.

Watch PHD Movies (free)

The PHD Movies (both the first and second) are available to stream for free. Below is a brief description on the films:

The PHD Movies are the film adaptations of the comic strip “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham. The films take a smart and humorous look at the world of Academia through the eyes of four grad students, and features real academics (including several MacArthur Geniuses and a Nobel Prize winner!) in many of the roles. They were made possible by the incredible efforts of volunteers and the support of thousands of fans, and by the generosity of Caltech and the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter. The movies were featured in the New York Times, Nature, and Science Magazine among others, and screened at over 500 locations worldwide.

Division of Finance and Administration Slideshow

Employees in the Division of Finance and Administration were featured in a slideshow thanking essential workers.

CAMPUS RESOURCES

UCI Beall Applied Innovations Offers Student Startup Fund to Combat COVID-19

We know there are student innovators with ideas, prototypes or concepts that might play a role in combating COVID-19. If you believe you can make a difference, Beall Applied Innovation wants to hear from you. Applications are due May 1. The Student Startup Fund offers micro-grants to UCI students and alumni to help them develop their innovative ideas.

UCI Wellness Presents Managing Distress Virtual Workshops

UCI Wellness, Health, and Counseling Services is presenting the Managing Distress in the University Community Workshop Series for UCI Faculty and Staff this Spring via Zoom. Registration is required.

Monday, April 20
Dealing with Disruptive or Distressed Students
Zoom Meeting presented by the UCI Consultation Team
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Tuesday, April 21
Suicide Prevention Training: QPR – Question, Persuade, Refer
Zoom Meeting presented by the UCI Counseling Center
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 22
Bystander Intervention Training: Step Up! UCI
Zoom Meeting presented by the Center for Student Wellness and Health Promotion
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

School of Social Sciences Offers Lecture Series on COVID-19 Topics

Going Viral: Coronavirus through Chinese Social Media
April 15, 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Teaching the Politics of COVID-19
April 24, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Sleep in the COVID Crisis: Maintaining Emotional Stability, Cognition and Immune Function Under Stress
May 1, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Partisanship and Policy Preferences During the Pandemic
May 1, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Teaching on Anteater Island: The Promise of Virtual Worlds for Remote Learning
May 20, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

UCIMC UPDATES

Important Update about COVID-19 Testing and Health Care Workers

Dr. Carrie L. Byington, Executive Vice President, UC Health, and the UC Office of the President made a decision about reporting COVID-19 test results and returning to work. This directive applies to all health care personnel as defined in the letter.

Donations of Home-made Masks are Accepted at UCIMC

UCI Medical Center is accepting donations of home-made masks. You can drop off on 4/11, 4/18, or 4/25 at Parking Lot 83. For questions, email donatemasksucisom@gmail.com. Here is the video they recommend for instructions on how to make a mask.

COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Detection Tests

Effective immediately, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine will be testing nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal and nasal specimens collected from individuals with suspected COVID-19 infection on two additional platforms. The Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 and DiaSorin Molecular Simplexa COVID-19 Direct are real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRt-PCR) assays intended for the qualitative detection nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2.

UCI Health Receives a Drive-by Salute

UCI Podcast: UCI Health Response to Pandemic

The UCI Podcast has a new episode out, called UCI Health Response to Coronavirus Pandemic.

UC UPDATES

Janet Napolitano: Status of UC System During COVID-19

Watch UC President Janet Napolitano talk with NBC about the status of the medical centers and the campuses.

United Airlines Partners with State of California for Medical Volunteers

United Airlines has partnered with the State of California to provide free round-trip flights for medical volunteers traveling to and across California to aid in COVID-19 response.

COMMUNITY UPDATES AND NEWS

Apple and Google Team Up to ‘Contact Trace’ the Coronavirus

The technology giants said they would embed a feature in iPhones and Android devices to enable users to track infected people they’d come close to.

Testing Site Opens Today at Shuttered San Clemente Hospital

The new drive-thru coronavirus testing site at the shuttered San Clemente hospital opens today. Testing is done by appointment for people who show the common symptoms of coronavirus. The site hours are Monday - Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

US is Nearing Peak Right Now

According to Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US is “nearing the peak right now” of the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes, however, that the US has to reopen in the right way.

42% of Orange County Workers in Industries at High-Risk of Job Loss

According to researchers at the Economic Roundtable, 42% of Orange County’s workers are in industries at high-risk of job loss. These researchers looked at statewide employment data and compared it with job-loss risk data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

FDA Green-Lights Decontamination System for N95 Respirators

The US Food and Drug Administration announced a plan to decontaminate “millions” of N95 respirators every day. Thousands of hospitals already have the system installed, but will now be able to use them on N95 respirators. This is the FDA’s third respirator decontamination system authorization in the past few weeks. This authorization is for a company called Advanced Sterilization Products.

Orange County Restaurants Offering Pickup and Delivery

Orange County Register published a list of some restaurants in Orange County that are open for pickup and delivery amid coronavirus. This doesn’t capture every open restaurant, but serves as a starting point.

Disney Projected to Lose $5 Billion in Revenue in 2020 Fiscal Year

Even though Disney theme parks are currently expected to reopen in June, analysts project that the shuttering of all 12 Disney resorts around the world could cost the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products division $5 billion in lost revenue in the 2020 fiscal year.

UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List

Orange County Business Journal, April 13, 2020
UCI Pools Resources For COVID-19 Efforts

EdSource Today, April 13, 2020
California university researchers join the global race to fight coronavirus

International Business Times, April 12, 2020
Coronavirus USA: What Barack And Michelle Obama Said About Wisconsin Voting During Outbreak

Orange County Register, April 11, 2020 (Column)
Whicker: In coronavirus era, it’s always must-win when athletes become doctors

EdScoop, April 10, 2020
UC Irvine’s new coronavirus map shows sentiment on Twitter

The Atlantic, April, 10, 2020
We Need to Stop Trying to Replicate the Life We Had

Los Angeles Daily News, April 10, 2020
Coronavirus: Companies ramp up production of ventilators for hospitals. But will they be needed?