Feb. 8 - Prevent Zoombombing, COVID testing reminder
Section 1
View from Student Center bridge looking toward Aldrich Park and Ring Road. Photo by Steve Zylius / UCI
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Weekly COVID-19 testing reminder
In accordance with the UC COVID-19 Vaccine Policy, students, faculty and staff who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or booster eligible but not yet boosted and who are entering or physically present on UCI-controlled property must undergo weekly testing. This requirement also applies to those who have an approved exemption, exception or deferral. Students, faculty and staff may schedule a test from the campus testing site by making an appointment on the Student Health Center portal or by dropping by the test site. View the testing locations and schedule. Students and employees who fail to comply with COVID-19 testing requirements are subject to disciplinary action.
Grad students who are also employees
Graduate students who work on campus must be sure to upload their COVID-19 vaccine and booster documentation in both the Student Health portal and the employee Occupational Health portal. Because these two systems are independent from one another, uploading to one does not automatically update the other. Please be sure to put your record into both systems to be considered policy compliant.
Prevent Zoombombing
Zoombombing occurs when a Zoom meeting link is exploited or hacked by bad actors seeking to disrupt meetings with inappropriate images, video and other disruptive content. Nearly all Zoombombing incidents can be prevented if the host configures Zoom settings appropriately for the meeting format. Public meetings and classes require a different list of Zoom security settings than collaborative team meetings. Visit UCI’s Zoom Help Center to get familiar with key settings before or at the start of your Zoom Meeting.
Antihistamines show promise treating ‘long COVID’
The effects of COVID-19 on individuals range from mild symptoms to several weeks of illness to ailments including brain fog, joint pain, exercise intolerance and fatigue that last for months after the initial infection. The clinical term for these lingering COVID-19 effects is post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2, for which there is no standard treatment. Antihistamines may provide relief, according to a case report co-authored by UCI nursing scholars.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
California to lift indoor mask mandate
California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren, state health officials announced. After Feb. 15, unvaccinated people still will be required to be masked indoors, and everyone — vaccinated or not — will have to wear masks in higher-risk areas like public transit and nursing homes and other congregate living facilities.
*UCI’s universal indoor masking requirement and Executive Directive are still in place. Masking requirements are being evaluated and the campus will be notified if there are changes.
EVENTS
California Stories of Hope: Advancing Social Justice Through Student Success
Thursday, 9:30 a.m. (sponsored by UCI)
Gratitude: A Skill for Happier Living
Thursday, noon (sponsored by HR Wellness)
Tidy Data: Data Organization with Spreadsheets
Thursday, 1 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Libraries)
Conversation Kitchen: "Jane Austen's Tea Table,"
Thursday, 4 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Illuminations)
Music Lecture Series: Benjamin Korstvedt
Thursday, 4 p.m. (sponsored by Claire Trevor School of the Arts)
Mental Health in a Time of Pandemic
Thursday, 5 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Center for Medical Humanities)
A Journey through the Holocaust
Thursday, 5:30 p.m. (sponsored by UCI Libraries)
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
UC Irvine gets $55M for center on depression research
AP, Feb. 7
Cited: Michael Stamos, dean of the School of Medicine, Pramod Khargonekar, vice chancellor for research, Frank LaFerla, dean of the School of Biological Sciences, Tom Vasich, spokesman
Exhibit visiting UCI looks at ‘Americans and the Holocaust’
The Orange County Register, Feb. 7
Cited: Jack Langson Library
Supreme Court lets GOP-drawn Alabama congressional map that critics say dilutes power of Black voters stay in place
CNN, Feb. 8
Cited: Rick Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law