UCI Forward

UCI Forward is our commitment to the well-being of our community as we ramp up campus operations. Working together, each of us doing our part, we can move UCI Forward.

January 5 - Updates on COVID-19

Section 1

campus spread

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

Highest single day count to date

Yesterday, 22 positive cases of COVID-19 were reported on campus - 14 students and 8 employees. This is the highest single day positive case report to date at UCI, bringing our current active positive case count to 90. Please remember that Southern California is currently in its most significant surge since the pandemic began. We are all in this together - please continue to remain vigilant in adhering to the state’s stay-at-home orders and only leave your residence for work, medical attention or groceries and essential supplies. If you must go out, wear a mask, physically distance and wash your hands often.

New workplace exposure notification

The State of California now requires employers to disclose locations of potential COVID-19 exposure. A list of these locations will be maintained on the UCI Forward site and linked in each edition of the Daily Update, starting today.

*Potential workplace exposure: UCI provides this notification of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure. Employees and subcontractors who were in these locations on the dates listed may have been exposed to the coronavirus. You may be entitled to various benefits under applicable federal and state laws and University-specific policies and agreements. The full notification is available on the UCI Forward site. If you have been identified as a close contact to a COVID-19 case, the UCI Contact Tracing Program will contact you and provide additional direction.

Winter 2021 COVID-19 testing information for students

Weekly testing is now available for:

  • Students residing on campus

  • Students attending in-person classes (when classes resume)

  • Students residing within 10 miles of the campus

  • Students who regularly attend onsite events or activities

  • Students involved in campus-based research

  • Students working on campus

UC NEWS

How UC fought COVID-19 in 2020

The efforts and research of UC campuses and health centers have played a major role in protecting California and exploring viable solutions to stopping the pandemic. Here’s a look at where we started and how far we’ve come with the coronavirus.

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.

California has six confirmed cases of the new coronavirus strain

California now has six confirmed cases of the new strain of the coronavirus, first discovered last month in the United Kingdom. Two confirmed cases are in San Bernardino County and four are in San Diego County.

Why you may get the vaccine from a dentist

The Department of Consumer Affairs on Monday approved a public health emergency waiver allowing dentists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the California Dental Association, this would most likely happen at hospital settings, clinics and vaccination sites that are expected to be set up to meet the demand for the vaccine, rather than dental offices. Through the emergency waiver, dentists will receive additional training necessary through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is targeted to vaccine administration and adverse reactions.

CVS begins vaccinating in CA

CVS Health started a vaccination project in California to help protect those at the highest risk of COVID-19. The company is working with 40,000 long-term care facilities nationwide over the next 12 weeks to get them vaccinated against the coronavirus. In California, that translates to 15,000 long-term care clinics with nearly 700,000 residents and staff vaccinated.

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.

Hopeful images from 2020

The following are images from the past year of personal victories, families and friends at play, expressions of love and compassion, volunteers at work, or simply small and pleasant moments.

Bachelor alum begins her last semester at UCI

“It’s been a slow, hard, eight-year journey, and I’m so close to the finish line,” Bekah Martinez, 25, wrote via Instagram. “I first started at UC Irvine in 2013, fresh out of high school.”

#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.