September 16 - Updates on COVID-19

Across Orange County and around the U.S., UCI alumni took part in volunteer activities for the first Anteaters in Service Day. Scroll down for more info. Photo courtesy of UCI Alumni Association

TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES

New positive cases

One employee and one student tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was last on campus Sept. 8. The student was diagnosed separately from the mandatory screening of students who currently live in campus housing. For a cumulative campus case and recovery count, visit www.uci.edu/coronavirus.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

Anteaters in Service Day

They picked up trash, painted murals, distributed face masks, passed out school supplies and more. Across the U.S., more than 250 alumni took part in the first Anteaters in Service Day. Sponsored by the UCI Alumni Association, the event was held Aug. 29. Check out the photo gallery.

UCI partners with Apple and Anthem on asthma study

The university is working with the two companies to research how blood oxygen and other Apple Watch measurements can help people manage and control asthma. 

New website predicts virus trends in OC

UCI statisticians have helped to launch a site that tracks the spread of COVID-19 and forecasts future trends. Aimed at public health officials and policymakers, it also estimates the number of infectious residents on any given day. If, for example, it says 30,000 people are currently infectious, that means 1 percent of county residents can transmit the virus. So if you enter a store with 100 people inside, you should expect one of them to be infectious. 

Olympic pause

Anteater alumni who had hoped to compete in the Olympics this summer lament the disruption caused by COVID-19 and set their sights on Tokyo 2021.

HOPE, INSPIRATION, LAUGHTER

Amid the heartbreaking loss of life and economic hardship wrought by the coronavirus, we recognize the need for stories of kindness, hope, courage and humor. 

WW2 vet wants casket painted like Juicy Fruit gum

The 94-year-old man is known for handing out sticks of Wrigley’s chewing gum to everyone he meets.

Native American pageant queens take on the coronavirus

Miss Navajo Nation and other indigenous title holders – who butchered sheep and performed tribal dances to win their crowns – sew masks, promote social distancing and distribute supplies to families in need. The pandemic “has given us a really good opportunity to stop and reflect on what it is that we want to achieve with our titles,” one said.

GENERAL COVID-19 NEWS

This section curates noteworthy coronavirus news, trends and opinions. No endorsement by UCI is implied. Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and OC Register for students, faculty and staff
  

Low-income students quitting college in alarming numbers

Many say they don’t have good enough Wi-Fi at home to take online courses, so they’re dropping out or not enrolling.

Toilet paper shortage brings foreign TP to U.S. stores

Demand for toilet tissue has been so high during the pandemic that retailers are buying up foreign toilet paper brands, mostly from Mexico, to keep their shelves stocked.

CDC chief says vaccine likely to be available in 2021

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, said that a COVID-19 vaccine will likely be available to the general public by the late second or third quarter of 2021.

U.S. outlines plan for free COVID-19 vaccines

Today, the federal government outlined a plan to make COVID-19 vaccines free to all Americans. The Defense Department sketched out a complex plan for a vaccination campaign to begin gradually in January.

Big Ten reverses decision to pause football 

Five weeks after pushing fall sports to the spring, the Big Ten unanimously decided to start its season the weekend of Oct. 24.

UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List

Voice of OC, Sept. 15, 2020
Is Orange County picking another coronavirus mask fight with Gov. Newsom?

National Catholic Register, Sept. 15, 2020
Diseases of despair: Pandemic prompts spike in social pathologies

Voice of OC, Sept. 16, 2020
Pacific Symphony strives to reimagine programming as it postpones 2020-21 season