March 23 - Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
CAMPUS SNAPSHOT
Watson Bridge on a misty morning. Photo by Ian Parker
TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES
Virtual Ring Road
The Office of Campus Organizations and Volunteer Programs has created a virtual version of Ring Road so that students, staff and faculty can have a chance to peruse through the different organizations, programs and departments at UCI. This resource will be available through June 4.
No new campus cases*
No student residents or campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. 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.
AstraZeneca stands by U.S. trial results despite experts’ concern
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca stood by the results of its U.S.-based clinical trial on Tuesday, a day after the Data and Safety Monitoring Board expressed concern that the data from the trial may have been “outdated” and “incomplete.”
California allows youth band, choir, drama to resume with modifications
The California Department of Public Health updated Youth Recreational Activities Monday, giving the green light to school performers.
Despite months of alarm, many O.C. Latinos are still unvaccinated
In Orange County, Latino residents are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at much lower rates than their white counterparts, prompting experts and advocates to call for a more equitable rollout. Just over 3% of Latinos in the county have received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared with 10% of white residents, according to county statistics.
L.A. to offer more than 70,000 vaccine doses this week
The city of Los Angeles will offer more than 70,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week, including 50,000 first-dose shots, through the city’s seven large-scale vaccination sites.
Clarification: School seating
We ran an item yesterday about California’s new policy on distance between students being reduced to 3 feet. We’d like to specify that the new policy applies only to K-12 students.
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.
Chimps from two Czech zoos are Zooming each other every day
Humans aren’t the only ones making video calls during the pandemic. These two distant cousins are virtually observing each other and even “grabbing goodies like nuts to chew on while watching the action.”
LA officially becomes ‘no-kill’ city
As animal shelters achieve a save rate of 90.49%, the second-largest city in the U.S. has officially earned “no-kill” status for the first time. A 90% save rate is the nationally recognized benchmark to be considered “no-kill,” taking into account that approximately 10% of pets who enter shelters have medical or behavioral circumstances that warrant humane euthanasia rather than killing for lack of space.
#UCIconnected
A changing family
Emily Jen, a senior finance analyst in the School of Humanities, describes how her family transformed and adapted during lockdown.
Since it seemed like everyone was getting a dog during the pandemic, it took several failed attempts before we were able to adopt. Finally, a rescue contacted us, saying that our family would be a better fit for another dog that recently became available, rather than the one we had applied for. So we got Dexter, a maltese mix, who loves kids. He has been a great companion, and giving him belly rubs is so therapeutic.
My mom moved in with us in August after my dad passed away unexpectedly. She now has settled in with a daily routine. I love talking to her, listening to the stories of when she was young and of her life with my dad before I was born.
We have slowly adjusted to our new normal. During these uncertain times, I cherish being with the ones I love.
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.