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.

February 1 - Updates on COVID-19

Section 1

Building social connections despite physical distancing is the first topic of a short coronavirus video series from the UCI Counseling Center. Other videos will be included in our newsletter each day this week. The clips run about 90 seconds.

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

7 new campus cases*

From Friday through Sunday, six student residents and one campus employee tested positive for COVID-19. The number of active campus cases was 55 on Sunday, down from 89 a week earlier. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

UCI fellowships help fill virus-created void

Grad students facing financial hardships caused by COVID-19 get funding and a chance to learn new skills.

Black History Month begins

A look at the efforts and accomplishments of Black students, faculty, researchers, alumni, organizations and initiatives.

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.

Disney Resort reopens outdoor dining

Outdoor dining resumed Friday at Downtown Disney and California Adventure, days after the state loosened coronavirus restrictions. Lines of customers were seen at Disneyland Resort on Friday evening and Saturday morning. Dining establishments on Buena Vista Street, inside California Adventure, have also reopened.

Vaccine ruled out as cause of death in California man

Last week, officials reported that a Northern California man died hours after getting a COVID-19 shot. Authorities say the 64-year-old healthcare worker began complaining of side effects within 10 minutes of vaccination. A subsequent sheriff’s investigation revealed that the man had recently been diagnosed with COVID, had underlying health issues and exhibited symptoms of the illness at the time the vaccine was given.

How opera singers help ‘long COVID’ patients breathe

Starting with lullabies, the program uses singing and breathing exercises to help patients who are experiencing breathlessness and anxiety.

Why most California schools won’t reopen anytime soon

Despite the governor’s $2 billion incentive program, state officials, schools and teachers unions still cannot agree on a framework to reopen public classrooms.

UC Davis tries to shield entire city from COVID

Rather than turning the campus into a protective bubble for students and staff, the university is also providing free testing, masks and quarantine housing to all 69,500 residents of the city and hundreds of nonresidents who work in the town.

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.

Satire: Snowstorm vaccine recipients; lockdown relief

The Onion’s man-on-the-street section featured fake reactions to a real news story about Oregon healthcare workers stranded in a snowstorm giving soon-to-expire vaccine doses to other trapped drivers (sample comment: “This is why I always accept injections from roadside strangers”). Meanwhile, the Babylon Bee lampooned the loosening of California’s latest lockdown (“This has nothing to do with politics,” Gov. Newsom said. “This is what SCIENCE told me to do! I’m serious -- SCIENCE was standing at the foot of my bed last night and clearly told me it was time to end the lockdowns!”).

#UCIconnected

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.