September 23 - Updates on COVID-19

CAMPUS SNAPSHOT

Where’s Peter? Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI.

TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES

Flu shots available on campus

UCI employees and their covered dependents who have UCI Health coverage can obtain a flu vaccination at the UCI Health drive-up testing site at Campus Parking Lot 70 located at 4600 Health Science Road, Irvine, at the corner of Bison and California. You may schedule an appointment through MyChart. The hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday through Friday.

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UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

UC Irvine to test students living on campus regularly for COVID-19

A majority of classes at UC Irvine will be taught remotely when the fall term starts Oct. 1, but that doesn’t mean the campus is empty of students. The school launched a coronavirus testing program recently to make sure every student gets a test before school starts – and university officials plan to require regular testing after that.

Free virtual wellbeing services for UCI employees

The Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute is offering wellbeing services to UCI employees free of charge. Services include: healthy nutrition in times of stress, mindfulness and meditation, guided acupressure, biofeedback and relaxation techniques, and stress management strategies. Here are descriptions of the services and appointments are required.

UC UPDATES

Learning resources for parents, students and educators as school gets back in session

Last spring, in response to the COVID-19 lockdown, UC campuses and programs quickly pulled together online assets for distance learning. These resources were intended for newly home-schooling parents, students at all levels, teachers and folks who felt empowered to learn a new skill. In our ongoing attempt to make sure all students have the support to keep from falling behind during this season of isolation from school settings, we have gathered more of the best K-12 and college-level home-learning resources.

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.

This guy takes old thrift store paintings and adds Star Wars to them

Redditor DaveRuinsArt made excellent use of his quarantine time by adding Star Wars vehicles and characters to unsold thrift store landscape paintings. On Reddit, his hard work paid off, as he earned over 80,000 upvotes and made it to the front page. His viral paintings have been a blessing, he notes, as the coronavirus has been a challenge to his business.

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

Walmart pilots contactless COVID-19 test kit drop-offs

Walmart has partnered with Quest Diagnostics and DroneUp for trial, COVID-19 test kit drone deliveries. Drones will drop off kits in the driveways, front sidewalks, and backyards. Customers will then complete the swab test and mail it to Quest Diagnostics with a prepaid shipping label.

Nail salons can reopen across state

Under the latest state health guidelines announced Tuesday, nail salons can reopen indoors across California.

Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine enters phase 3 trials

Today, Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine began phase 3 trials in the US. The trial will include up to 60,000 adult participants at nearly 215 sites across the nation and internationally.

Orange County could move to orange tier next week

According to Orange County health officials, moving to the orange tier could happen Sept. 29. If cases hold at the rates Orange County is currently seeing for another week, more restrictions could be lifted.

No positive COVID-19 tests so far for OC elementary schools that opened with waiver

The county health care agency had approved 139 waivers for elementary schools to reopen classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic provided that they met the health and safety guidelines. Many have been open for weeks. Now school districts can open all grades to in-person learning without a waiver.

Bicycle sales are skyrocketing, creating shortages and waiting lists

In the coronavirus pandemic, bicycles are selling as quickly as toilet paper did in the first weeks of the outbreak. And due to rocketing demand and supply chain disruptions, bicycles are now becoming as hard to find as Clorox wipes and jigsaw puzzles.

Disneyland demands Governor Newsom reopen theme parks

Disney parks chairman Josh D’Amaro ramped up the pressure on Newsom by saying “We’re ready. It’s time,” during a virtual press conference yesterday. After six months of closures and lack of guidance from the state, Disneyland and other California theme parks are demanding guidance and reopening.

Southern California home prices are at record levels, even during a pandemic

Despite being in the middle of a global pandemic, Southern California home prices continue to set records. The six-county region’s median price hit $600,000 in August--up 12.1% from a year earlier.