April 27 - Updates on COVID-19

More COVID-19 vaccines mean a chance to return to normal. The vaccine development did not skip steps for safety and efficacy. Side effects of the vaccine are temporary and do not mean you are sick. They signal a natural response as your body’s immune system learns to recognize and fight the coronavirus.

TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES

Commencement changes - guests invited

We are excited to share that graduates may invite up to two guests to accompany them during the procession. Guests will have a front row view to cheer on their graduates as they cross the stage in front of their peers.

New campus cases*

No student residents or on-campus employees tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Notably, there are also zero students or employees in isolation or quarantine. For more information, visit the UCI COVID-19 dashboard.

UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS

UCI Podcast: How UCI is helping students get vaccinated

In this episode of the UCI Podcast, David Souleles, the director of UCI’s COVID-19 response team, discusses how vaccination benefits both the individual and the community at large, what the proposed vaccine mandate from the University of California Office of the President means, and how members of the UCI community can get help in getting the shot.

BioSci professor’s TEDx Talk featured on TED site

Professor Steven Allison’s talk at UCI’s TEDx event last October has been selected by TED as a featured talk on their site. Professor Allison spoke about microbiomes and climate change.

Zoom boom - dermatology and cosmetic procedures are up

For the past year, legions of us have been staring at our faces on computer monitors — sometimes for hours each day — through Zoom and other online meeting apps as we work from home during the pandemic. We don't always like what we see. And this has led to a spike in visits to dermatologists and plastic surgeons across the country as people seek cosmetic treatments that will make us, as Gloria Swanson famously said in “Sunset Boulevard,” ready for our closeup.

UC NEWS

UC Health administers its millionth COVID vaccine

University of California Health announced that it has administered one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, marking a significant milestone in the fight against a pandemic that has killed more than 60,000 people in California.

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.

New mass-vaccination site opens at Great Park

A new mass vaccination site has opened in Orange County which should help thousands of people a week get their shots to protect against COVID-19. The new site at Orange County Great Park in Irvine will be open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Orange County sees vaccine gap for older, white residents in coastal communities and other areas

While community health clinics have been vaccinating working class residents in Orange County’s hardest hit, often Latino neighborhoods, another vaccination gap has emerged among white communities older than 65.

California’s vaccination pace slowed after Johnson & Johnson pause

California’s COVID-19 inoculation pace tailed off after officials paused use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a precaution earlier this month.

U.S. to share AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

The United States plans to share millions of doses of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine with other countries in the coming months.

It’s never been easier to get a vaccine — even with no appointment

It’s never been easier to get a COVID-19 vaccine in California, officials say, with Los Angeles County and many other counties now offering vaccines at some sites without requiring an appointment.

CDC eases mask guidelines for vaccinated people outdoors

People who are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus don’t need to wear masks when walking, hiking, biking, running alone, gathering in small groups outside, dining at a restaurant outside, and at small outdoor gatherings that include some unvaccinated people, the CDC announced today.

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.

Photo credit: Paige Tobin's Instagram account @paigeetobin

While her kindergarten classmates spend their free time playing with blocks and running around outside, Paige Tobin has been busy dropping into 12-foot high skateboard ramps, amassing a burgeoning online fanbase. Skateboarding is experiencing a new level of legitimacy and exposure through non-traditional skaters like Paige, as well as the International Olympic Committee adding male and female skateboarding as a summer Olympic sport starting with the Tokyo games.

#UCIconnected

Vaccine selfies

Aileen Fletcher

“I'm an RA in Mesa Court and also a fourth year nursing student. I got vaccinated for my family, my friends, my residents, and the patients I take care of at the hospital. Knowing I'm protected helps me feel more safe around others. I felt so relieved after I got vaccinated. I started working as a hospital Nursing Assistant in the middle of the COVID surge in December, and since then I've experienced so much anxiety about possibly getting sick or spreading it to others. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to get vaccinated! I'm looking forward to spending time with my grandparents, hammocking in Aldrich park with my friends, and going out to eat!”

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 COVID-19 vaccination, 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.