April 28 - Updates on COVID-19

UCI UPDATES

Lunchtime lecture: Patterns in COVID-19 Testing and Cases in OC

The Program in Public Health is offering a Zoom webinar series called Lunchtime Lectures. The next one is April 30 at 12:30 p.m. and is called COVID-19 Testing and Cases in OC, featuring Daniel Parker. Registration is required.

COVID-19: The Humanities Respond: AIDS, COVID-19 and Art: Reflections on Pandemics

The School of Humanities virtual conversation series called COVID-19: The Humanities Respond hosts its next event on April 30. It is called AIDS, COVID-19 and Art: Reflections on Pandemics, featuring Jonathan Alexander from the Department of English.

Zot Series: Sleep in the COVID Crisis

The School of Social Sciences offers the next in its Zoom lecture Zot Series: Sleep in the COVID Crisis, featuring Sara Mednick. The event takes place May 1, at 11 a.m. Registration is required.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND STORIES

UCI doctor describes love, death and war during New York coronavirus fight

Dr. Sebastian Schubl spent a week volunteering at the NYC hospital where he got his start.

Pregnancy and COVID-19

The evidence shows that expectant mothers are no more likely to get sick than the general population, says Dr. Afshan Hameed, a UCI Health obstetrician and leading authority on high-risk maternal-fetal medicine. But if a pregnant woman does fall ill, she is not at higher risk of serious complications.

“Fair Elections During a Crisis” report issued

A diverse group of leading scholars and thinkers in the areas of law, technology, politics, and media released a new report, Fair Elections During a Crisis: Urgent Recommendations in Law, Media, Politics, and Tech to Advance the Legitimacy of, and the Public’s Confidence in, the November 2020 U.S. Elections. The ad hoc group was brought together by Richard Hasen, UCI Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science.

UC UPDATES

Planned UCPath downtimes

The UCPath system will be unavailable to all UC employees for two time periods during April and May due to the UCSD, UCSD Medical and UCSF transition to UCPath. Log into UCPath Online to view your paychecks, manage benefits, see leave balances and more before or after these dates: The first downtime is April 29 at 10 p.m. through May 5 at 8 a.m. The second downtime is May 22 at 10 p.m. to May 28 at 8 a.m.

COMMUNITY UPDATES & NEWS

Recovering from COVID does not mean you won’t get it again

WHO warns that there is currently no evidence that individuals who have had COVID-19 and have developed antibodies are immune to a second infection. This means that issuing “immunity passports,” as some countries have proposed, could present risks.

California suspends bar exam this summer

The California Supreme Court postponed the scheduled July bar exam Monday for about 8,000 law school graduates but refused to cancel it, saying it would try instead to conduct a first-ever online exam in September.

Colorado and Nevada join CA, OR and WA in Western States Pact

Colorado and Nevada have joined the Western States Pact, a collaboration between California, Oregon, and Washington to coordinate efforts for reopening their economies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Orange County Health Care Agency has new director

Clayton Chau, M.D., Ph.D., is the new Director of the OC Health Care Agency (HCA), effective May 4, 2020. Dr. Chau had previously worked for HCA’s Behavioral Health Services team from 1999-2012 and was most recently Chief Clinical and Strategy Officer for Mind OC, the not-for-profit created to support the advancement of Be Well OC.

Dr. Fauci Says Second Wave of COVID-19 is Inevitable

Dr. Anthony Fauci said “I’m almost certain it will come back” when asked about the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus later this year.

Meat Shortages Across the Nation

Due to plants closing from the coronavirus, the U.S. could face meat shortages soon. Farmers across the nation have recently been forced to euthanize animals as processing plants have been temporarily shut down. House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson estimates roughly 60,000 to 70,000 pigs could be killed each day. Americans could see shortages in grocery stores by next week.

Expanding COVID-19 Testing at Nationwide Retailers

CVS Health, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, Kroger and others joined President Donald Trump at the White House to announce plans to expand testing by adding new sites and increasing access, especially to underserved communities.