January 7 - Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
CAMPUS SNAPSHOT
A view of UCI and the San Gabriel Mountains from the UCI Ecological Preserve. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES
22 new cases on campus*
Fifteen on-campus students and seven campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.
UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS
UCI team working on vaccine for future coronaviruses
If successful, the preemptive vaccine could thwart future human and animal coronaviruses, as well as COVID-19. Researchers at UCI’s Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute are developing the vaccine with a multimillion-dollar grant from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Clinical trials could begin in June.
Upcoming events
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.
People without symptoms spread most cases, CDC model says
Fifty-nine percent of all transmission came from people without symptoms, under the model’s baseline scenario. That includes 35% from people who infect others before they show symptoms and 24% from people who never develop symptoms at all.
California asks residents to limit in-state travel to 120 miles
California public health officials issued an updated travel advisory Wednesday, discouraging non-essential trips into and out of the state. The new advisory replaces the pre-holiday advisory that asked travelers coming into California to self-isolate for 14 days. Officials now say people returning to the state should self-quarantine for 10 days.
First round of vaccines at U.S. nursing homes will finish this month
CVS and Walgreens said they’re on track to complete the first round of COVID shots for all U.S. nursing home residents and staff by Jan. 25. The companies partnered with the federal government to administer the vaccine.
Newsom proposes $600 payment for low-income Californians
Millions of low-income Californians would get a $600 payment from the state under a budget proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The proposed payment would go to people with annual incomes of less than $30,000, including immigrants living in the country illegally who file taxes with the state. Roughly 4 million people would be eligible for the payment, for a total state cost of $2.4 billion. Newsom is also asking the Legislature to extend a moratorium on evictions.
Superintendents bash Newsom’s school reopening plan
The leaders of seven of California’s largest school districts said Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to reopen classrooms fails to set a clear statewide standard for judging COVID-19 conditions and seeks to use taxpayer funds that would otherwise go toward existing education programs.
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.
Best videos of 2020
Animal antics, goofy humans, natural wonders and other smile-inducing clips are featured in this compilation.
#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.
EXPOSURE NOTIFICATION
* 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.