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.

March 29 - Updates on COVID-19

Section 1

CAMPUS SNAPSHOT

A Cessna and the planet Venus pass in front of the sun. Photo by Ian Parker

A Cessna and the planet Venus pass in front of the sun. Photo by Ian Parker

TODAY'S CAMPUS UPDATES

One new campus case over long weekend*

One student resident (but no on-campus employees) tested positive for COVID-19 during the holiday weekend, Thursday through Sunday. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

Clarification: vacation accrual cap

Last Thursday’s item on the return of vacation accrual maximums for policy-covered staff could have been misconstrued to mean that already-accrued vacation could be lost after July 1. To clarify, employees will not forfeit already-accrued time off, but if they are over their vacation maximum on July 1, they will not accrue additional vacation until their balance falls below the maximum. Leave balances can be viewed on UCPath or via TRS.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

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.

OC Fair returns in-person this summer

The OC Fair is scheduled to resume in July, with modifications, after being canceled last year for the first time since World War II.

Orange County set to open another major vaccination site

The new vaccination site will debut at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, a day before residents 50 years and older become eligible for inoculations.

Researchers say biomarker predicts COVID severity

Scientists at UC Davis say they have found a special biomarker in blood plasma that can predict the severity of COVID cases. The discovery could help pave a new path when it comes to treatment, they say.

U.S. airline travel hits highest point of pandemic

The Transportation Security Administration reported a new pandemic-era air travel record. It screened more than 1.57 million people at U.S. airports on Sunday, passing the previous record set a week before.

CDC director senses ‘impending doom’ as cases rise

Without immediate action, the U.S. could follow European countries into a fourth wave and suffer needless deaths, she warns, citing a recent 10% jump in cases nationwide.

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.

Stray dog kept stealing stuffed unicorn from store

After five thefts, a North Carolina Dollar General store reported the canine criminal to Animal Control. But rather than simply arrest the suspect, an officer purchased the purple unicorn, took it and the dog to a shelter and posted photos. The story went viral and led to an adoption the next day.

12 unusual vaccination sites

A school bus, an alley, a nuclear aircraft carrier and Boston’s Old North Church are among the offbeat locations where people are getting inoculations.

#UCIconnected

Battling the ‘COVID 15’

Monique Skahan from EHS says she found herself drifting toward “COVID 15” weight-gain territory from her husband’s “wonderful full-calorie meals and homemade baked goods.” She was “afraid to go on our scale,” but when a good friend mentioned a group of women meeting five mornings a week to jog along the Quail Hill running trail, Skahan asked to join. “We quickly began to be each other’s support group to get rid of the pandemic blues and COVID 15,” she writes. “I love, love these ladies. ... Getting outside and moving around before a telecommuting day gave me the productivity and motivation of moving forward. I have dropped 20 pounds.” And Skahan recently recruited a new member to the team. “My family adopted a rescue in November and she loves to jog with the group. Two of my jogging partners also adopted some canine friends. It’s a whole new playgroup.”

Monique Skahan with dog

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.