Jan. 18 - Employee test kits available, mega-events guide updated
Section 1
BC’s Cavern on the Green. Photo by Ian Parker
In this continuing series, UCI experts answer questions about COVID-19, vaccinations, variants or the future of work. Submit questions via email.
With the omicron variant, if you are not symptomatic then are you still contagious?
Yes, infected people can transmit the virus that causes COVID-19 even if they do not have any symptoms. That is why it is so important that if you test positive for COVID-19, regardless of symptoms, you follow the isolation guidelines on the UCI Forward page to break the chain of infection and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Two additional at-home COVID-19 tests offered to campus employees
UCI has managed to secure additional at-home COVID-19 antigen tests for distribution to campus employees. You may pick up two additional tests today through Thursday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., while supplies last. The tests can be picked up at the kiosk just off West Peltason Drive between Campus Drive and Pereira Drive, adjacent to the Mesa Court housing parking lot. Please follow on-site directional signage.
Student housing updates
For resident students who have not yet returned to campus, please note these important take-aways. Plan to return to campus at least seven days prior to your first in-person class in order to complete required testing. Before your return to campus, complete a COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours prior to your return date.
Mega-events guide
The Reference Guide containing instructions on how to regulate entry for indoor events that exceed 500 people (including spectators, participants, event organizers and staff in a single location) has been updated. Please visit the Environmental Health & Safety website to see the updated guide.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
Government launches free test website
Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of four free at-home tests from USPS.com. Visit this link to learn more and fill out the form to place your order.
Fraud alert: COVID-19 scams
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is alerting the public about fraud schemes related to COVID-19. Reports are surfacing about pop-up testing operations that may be unlicensed and out to scam people. Beware of testing sites that ask for Social Security numbers or other data designed to collect personal information as these are illegitimate sites. Report fraud by calling the Office of Inspector General at 800-447-8477 or online.
EVENTS
Doubling the Climate Benefit: Turning California's Waste Into Hydrogen While Removing CO2 from the Air
Thursday, 11 a.m. (sponsored by School of Physical Sciences)
Politics of Language Speaker Series: Dr. Jonathan Alexander
Thursday, 3 p.m. (sponsored by Center for Excellence in Writing and Communications)
Beyond the Campus/Community Split: A Conversation on Effective Partnerships
Thursday, 3 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Humanities Center)
Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.
UCI IN THE NEWS
Opinion: 54 years after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s visit to Orange County
The Orange County Register, Jan. 17 (opinion)
Author: Douglas M. Haynes, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion
Californians asked not to use strained ERs for virus testing
AP, Jan. 14
Cited: Dr. Chris Fox, chair of emergency medicine at UCI Medical Center
Quotation of the Day: Worries in China That Population May Soon Shrink
The New York Times, Jan. 18
Cited: Wang Feng, professor of sociology
#UCICONNECTED
A future Anteater posted on UC Irvine’s Instagram.
#UCIconnected spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff photos, essays, shoutouts, hobbies, artwork, unusual office decorations, activities and more. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.