September 24- Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
CAMPUS SNAPSHOT
3D and 2D anteaters. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES
Two positive cases
Two new COVID-19 cases have been reported among campus employees, one from earlier this week and one from late August. Since mid-March, 67 campus employees and 39 students have tested positive. By comparison, UC San Diego’s case count is nearly reversed, with 65 students and 36 campus employees. UCLA reports a total of 266 cases since mid-March, and UC Berkeley confirmed 215 cases. To view UCI’s COVID case dashboard, visit https://uci.edu/coronavirus/dashboard/index.php.
Tell us what you think of this newsletter
Which sections do you like/dislike? Help us improve the UCI Forward (aka Daily COVID Update) newsletter by taking a quick, 7-question survey.
UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS
New Student Convocation on Monday
The official opening of the new academic year begins Monday at 9:30 a.m. with New Student Convocation. Welcome remarks will be made by Chancellor Howard Gillman, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Willie L. Banks Jr. and Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Rameen Talesh, along with words of wisdom from ASUCI President Michelle Mallari and UCI Alumni Association President Jack Toan. The ceremony should end by 10:15 a.m. and is followed by individual school receptions. For details, visit https://convocation.studentaffairs.uci.edu.
Anteater Involvement Fair goes virtual
Get connected with new friends and interests during this fall’s Anteater Involvement Fair, which showcases UCI’s 600+ clubs and organizations. From Sept. 28-30, students can view each organization’s virtual information booth. And during live session hours (Monday from noon to 3 p.m., Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), they can chat with club officers or join live virtual information sessions.
Arts in the pandemic: dance
In the latest episode of ArtsTalk, Claire Trevor School of the Arts Dean Stephen Barker talks with Department of Dance Chair Molly Lynch about adjusting to remote learning, upcoming performances and other topics.
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.
Funny face masks
“Not here to rob anyone,” says one of the masks in this shopping guide to goofy face coverings.
Cardboard cutouts, a quirk of COVID baseball, let fans honor loved ones
Pet cats, a school shooting victim and deceased relatives can be found in the standsat baseball parks around the nation.
A virtual forest
Wild Rumpus, which produces an outdoor nature festival in England each year, replaced its annual shindig with a Global Forest Sound Map of woodland recordings from around the world. The entries include lemurs in Madagascar, nightingales in Slovakia and Sichuan golden monkeys in China, as well as a Greek waterfall, Panamanian rainforest and Montana ranch.
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
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.
Feared virus outbreaks in schools aren’t happening, early data shows
Experts have found little evidence that COVID-19 is spreading inside school buildings, and the rates of infection are far below what is found in the surrounding communities.
College enrollment falls amid COVID, online classes
Undergraduate enrollment declined 2.5% nationwide and even the most prestigious schools have been hit. At Harvard University, for example, undergraduate enrollment fell almost 20% from last year. The only gain was seen at graduate schools, with enrollments rising 3.9% from last fall.
Google Maps will show the number of COVID cases near you
Beginning this week, Google Maps will display seven-day averages of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people with a new color-coded feature.
College reopenings may have led to 3,000 COVID cases per day
Researchers tracked cell phone data and matched it to reopening deadlines of 1,400 schools, along with county infection rates, and found college reopenings drove about 3,000 new cases a day.
Americans in their 20s account for biggest share of cases
According to a new study from the CDC, the median age of people with COVID-19 in the U.S. has declined over the spring and summer, with Americans in their 20s now accounting for more cases than any other age group.
UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List
Shape, Sept. 23, 2020
Does UV light actually disinfect and kill viruses?