Category: UCI

Orange County Remains in Orange Tier for COVID-19

SANTA ANA—Orange County continues to show encouraging signs of declining COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and a major healthcare provider has opened one of two new mass vaccination sites in the county. “The numbers are looking great in Orange County,” Andrew Noymer, a University of California–Irvine professor of population health and disease prevention, told City News…


UCI Announces Plans to Return to Campus 

The University of California–Irvine (UCI) has begun instituting back-to-campus plans for employees and students. The transition to in-person classes will be managed in phases, with the first transition to start July 1, the university said. It plans be fully operational for in-person instruction by Sept. 1, assuming the “large majority” of employees and students are vaccinated. “Our…


YouTube Twins Plead Guilty to Felony Mayhem, Receive Plea Bargain

Twins whose shenanigans gained them YouTube fame have pleaded guilty to a number of charges related to a pair of fake robberies in Irvine. Alan and Alex Strokes pleaded guilty to the charges—which included misdemeanor false imprisonment and reporting false emergencies—in exchange for a plea bargain, the Orange County District Attorney’s office said March 31….


Orange County Universities to Host In-Person Graduation Ceremonies

California State University Fullerton (CSUF) and University of California–Irvine (UC–Irvine) have announced they will be holding limited in-person commencements for the classes of 2020 and 2021. The announcement for CSUF came in an email from provost Carolyn Thomas, who told students and faculty March 22 that the June ceremonies would be limited to graduates only, meaning friends and family could only watch their student cross the stage via…


UCI Professor: It’s Safe to Reopen Santa Ana Schools

SANTA ANA—As Santa Ana Unified School District board members prepare to consider a plan for reopening for in-person instruction a year since the COVID-19 pandemic forced students into distance learning, a prominent University of California–Irvine professor of pediatrics said today it’s safe for students to return to campuses. “I think they’re ready to open the…


UCI Study Shows Upswing in Gunshot and Knife Wounds During Pandemic

ORANGE—University of California–Irvine (UCI) researchers led a study that shows that gunshot and knife wounds increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern California, but injuries from traffic crashes were down. UCI Health researchers reviewed 20,450 trauma patients who were treated at 11 hospitals across seven counties. The study, which the researchers say is the first…


Spitzer Blasts Lawsuit Against DNA Database Program

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said a lawsuit challenging a DNA database overseen by his office was “outrageous” and “absurd.” University of California–Irvine (UCI) Law School professors and students filed the suit Feb. 16 in Orange County Superior Court against the county and Spitzer’s office, seeking an injunction to prevent the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) office…


Could Your Next Doctor Be Made of Metal? Meet UC Iris

University of California (UC) researchers are turning to robots for help during the ongoing pandemic. A research team—which includes members from UC’S Irvine, San Diego, and Los Angeles campuses—are developing advanced robots that will allow healthcare workers to conduct remote exams. Called UC Iris, the bots will also give quarantined California’s an easier way to…


COVID-19 Cases Drop as Vaccine Efforts Ramp Up

New COVID-19 cases have fallen 52 percent in Orange County during the past two weeks, according to data from the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA). As of Feb. 11, the 14-day average of new daily cases was 11,242, while two weeks ago it reached 23,846. The daily COVID positive cases recorded Feb. 11 was 799, bringing the total cumulative cases to 240,999 cases throughout…


Applications Arrive in Record-Setting Droves for UCI’s Fall Semester

The University of California–Irvine (UCI) received a record number of applications for fall 2021 and continued to be the top choice for in state-first generation students, the university said. “The word is out: UCI is a place that welcomes and supports our state’s very best students, regardless of their economic circumstances, and provides them with an…