January 14 - Updates on COVID-19

ANTEATER TIME MACHINE

An aerial shot of the campus 50 years ago. One or two things have changed since then.

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

Reminder: Vaccine now available for anyone age 65 and up

State and county health officials have authorized COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone age 65+. Eligible people who live or work in Orange County can register online through www.Othena.com to view appointment times and track vaccine availability. Or consult your healthcare provider. UCI strongly recommends the vaccine as a safe and effective way to protect yourself and others. County vaccinations are by appointment only.

15 new campus cases*

Nine student residents and six campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

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.

Single-shot vaccine on track for March rollout, company says

Johnson & Johnson said it expects to have clear data on the vaccine’s effectiveness by early February and will deliver 1 billion doses by the end of the year.

Calls to reopen schools grow as teachers get vaccine

State leaders around the U.S. are pushing for classrooms to reopen this winter. Their arguments are bolstered by a new CDC report that said children aren’t the main drivers of community transmission.

COVID restrictions have quashed nearly all other viruses

Flu, whooping cough and pneumonia are at or near record lows. But experts fear a rebound may be coming.

How the pandemic has turned spotlight back on obesity

The coronavirus highlights the risks created by another growing health crisis: obesity. Obese people diagnosed with COVID were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized, 74% more likely to need an intensive care unit and 48% more likely to die.

L.A. wants tougher enforcement for mask violators

Under Mayor Eric Garcetti’s “Safer at Home” order, people who don’t wear masks can face up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail. But there’s been little enforcement. Now, the L.A. City Council wants to crack down on mask scofflaws. In the wake of demonstrations by anti-mask groups at malls, markets and homeless camps, the council moved to bolster restrictions and subject more violators to fines.

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.

A 6-ton potato is one of Idaho’s hottest Airbnb spots

Tourists are lining up to stay in the 28-foot-long Russet Burbank replica, which has been converted into a mini-hotel room on 400 acres of Idaho farmland south of downtown Boise.

Missing cat turns up 3 years after deadly Montecito mudslide

A pet cat that was presumed killed along with her owner in a huge mudslide has been found. Photos show the animal reuniting with the owner’s partner. “Though we don’t know exactly what she’s been doing with her life for the past three years, we can see that both Patches and Norm are thrilled to be reunited,” the shelter said.

#UCIconnected

On Wednesday, we invited shoutouts to colleagues and campus organizations. Our first response came from Joe Brothman at UCI Health, who wrote: “I would like to highlight the work done by Nathan Tabita, Lauren Silva, Dr. Cyrus Dastur, Dr. Nasim Afsarmanesh, Helen Lee, Robert Easton, Lt. Anthony Frisbee, Kathleen Quan, Mary Ezzat, Erwin Altamira, Pam Samuelson and the entire vaccine administration team. They’ve worked tirelessly throughout the holiday and new year to ensure our organization was ready to start administering vaccinations for COVID-19 as soon as possible. They’ve given over 10,000 vaccines already and are gearing up for community administration.”

If you have a shoutout, or if you’d like to share what you’ve been up to during the pandemic, send photos and/or words about your activities, workstation, volunteering, etc., 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.