December 2 - Updates on COVID-19

Peter’s Tale

Pablo lives in campus housing and spends nearly all of his time alone in his room, including taking online classes, eating meals and studying. He misses his family, being in class, and just the ability to hang out with his friends in person. A normally outgoing and determined individual, Pablo is struggling to stay motivated to complete his assignments. He is too anxious to reach out to talk with anyone about his lack of enthusiasm about doing anything, but wrote an anonymous post about his feelings in an online forum. Much to his surprise (and comfort), many readers commented that they were struggling the same way he was, and several offered self-care tips to help fight off the malaise. Interestingly, there were also commenters who live at home and share Pablo’s same feelings and anxieties. Because these signals and symptoms were new and unknown to Pablo, he learned through the feedback that he could be experiencing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. A few students even shared that, despite much trepidation, they had reached out to the school’s counseling center and found its resources particularly helpful. Pablo was encouraged by this and connected with the student counseling office to learn more about what he was feeling and experiencing, and how to deal with it in a healthy way. If Pablo’s fictional story sounds familiar to you, please consider reaching out to the UCI Counseling Center. 

TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES

What to do when a COVID case occurs

See the criteria for reporting and the steps to take if there is a COVID exposure in your unit, including decontamination and post-decontamination occupancy approval.

Case count news

Ten new positive campus cases (six students and four employees) have been reported since yesterday. For more information, visit UCI’s COVID-19 dashboard.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

Diary of a Med Student

In the midst of a pandemic, two UCI med school students have published Diary of a Med Student - a collection of 100+ stories from students at more than 50 medical schools across the country. All of the proceeds from the book go toward a scholarship fund for incoming and current medical students.

Upcoming events

• COVID: Behind the Emergency Room Doors, Friday, 10 a.m. (Office of Global Engagement)

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.

CDC shortens quarantine period to 10 days

Today, the CDC announced a change to its guidelines, shortening the recommended quarantine period from 14 days after a person has been exposed to the coronavirus, with two alternatives. The first alternative is to end quarantine after 10 days if no symptoms are reported and the second is to end quarantine after seven days if an individual tests negative and reports no symptoms. 

UK becomes first country to approve COVID-19 vaccine

The UK has become the first Western nation to approve a COVID-19 vaccine. Tens of thousands of people in the UK will begin receiving the vaccine starting next week.

U.S. panel: 1st vaccines to healthcare workers, nursing homes

A government advisory panel voted 13-1 yesterday to recommend health care workers and nursing home residents get priority in the first days of any coming vaccination program.

Orange County coronavirus rates headed past summer highs

As of yesterday, Orange County has about 22.2 new cases of the virus reported per day per 100,000 residents. This is up from 18.7 cases per 100,000 on Saturday. State officials are warning health care systems to brace for impact.

U.S. hit record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations yesterday

Yesterday, the U.S. set a record for the number of people currently hospitalized due to the coronavirus. At least 98,691 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized across the nation, the highest number since the pandemic began.

CDC sets risk of COVID-19 in Mexico at highest level

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has set the risk of COVID-19 in Mexico to its highest level and is urging travelers to avoid going to the country. The CDC set its risk level to level four, which is “very high,” warning that going to the country “may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.”

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.

Have you sent your holiday cards yet?

For the greeting card industry, which has slumped for decades, it’s a significant turnaround. When all we want for the holidays is to be together, sending a cheeky card can be the next best thing.

#UCIconnected

What have you been up to during the pandemic? Send photos and/or words about your activities, workstation, volunteering or academic adventures to marketing@uci.edu or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.

@TerrordactylYOU shared his games of choice during the pandemic with #UCIconnected: “when my son isn’t calling the shots my quick-diversion game of choice is Call of Duty Mobile, and when I have more time I’m really enjoying Jedi Fallen Order.”

Associate professor Vinayak Chaturvedi, in the department of history shared with #UCIconnected how he has spent time during the pandemic by publishing The Pandemic: Perspectives on Asia (Columbia University Press/Association for Asian Studies) The book examines the cultural, political, social and economic responses to COVID-19 in Asia.