* Editor's note: An earlier version of this message mis-stated the total number of COVID-19 cases among students as of Feb. 12, 2021. That number is 2,966, not 2,996.

Vaccine update: UI Pharmacy students training to administer COVID-19 vaccine

In this video, Laura Knockel, clinical assistant professor in the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, explains how pharmacy students are being trained to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine to Iowans to help end the pandemic.

University Housing and Dining to resume dine-in seating

University Housing and Dining will begin offering limited, socially distanced dine-in seating for students in all three market places (Burge, Catlett, and Hillcrest) on March 1.

Students will have a choice of eating in the market places or taking their meals to another location by using express dining.

Seating will be limited to allow for appropriate social distancing. Each market place can accommodate 200 to 300 students at one time with distancing measures in place. All food stations in the market places will continue to be a “we serve” model instead of a self-service model.

Students will not need to use a separate process for dine-in seating. A reservation still will be required to enter the market place. Once in the market place, the student can choose to sit and dine or take their meal to go. All students will be required to wear masks in the market places, and will be allowed to remove their mask only when actively eating their meal.

University Dining staff will clean tables and chairs after each customer. Hand sanitizer dispensers will be located throughout the market places.

Grubhub and Express service for students will continue throughout the spring 2021 semester. More information is available at dining.uiowa.edu.

The university continues to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases on campus and in our community and will delay or suspend the dine-in service as if necessary, to limit exposure.

Mental health resources: Managing burnout

Burnout is a biproduct of working with intensity and without breaks, sometimes with lack of support, with too much isolation, and with too many additional stressors across many aspects of life. As the pandemic continues, many of us continue to manage stress, anxiety, increased responsibilities, struggles with systemic marginalization, and feelings of physical and emotional depletion.

In order to care for ourselves, it’s important to understand the signs of burnout so we can address them. Signs of burnout include exhaustion, isolation, escape fantasies, irritability, and frequent illnesses. If you notice any of these feelings, consider taking an assessment and know that free counseling is available to you on the University of Iowa campus.

To avoid burnout, managing our self-care is key to maintaining our subjective well-being, our physical health, and our mental health. It requires consciously setting aside time in our day to attend to our own needs and making that time a priority. A few tips include:

• Reach out to those closest to you. Share how you’re feeling, and ask for help when you need it.
• Re-evaluate your priorities. Get organized and set realistic goals for how much you can accomplish in a day given your current personal and professional workload.
• Set boundaries. Don’t overextend yourself, and learn how to say “no” to requests for your time.
• Take daily breaks from technology, and set aside time for relaxation.
• Get plenty of sleep. Feeling tired can make you irritable and can exacerbate stress.
• Make use of campus services. There are many free or insurance covered services available on campus.

Check out these additional tips for caring for self and managing burnout.

For more information about mental health resources, see mentalhealth.uiowa.edu.

For counseling and support, the Employee Assistance Program offers confidential counseling at no cost for UI employees and their families; or University Counseling Service offers confidential counseling and support for students. Take Kognito Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Training.

University of Iowa self-reported COVID-19 testing

These data reflect new cases since Feb. 10, 2021.

The University of Iowa has published an updated snapshot of self-reported positive COVID-19 tests from faculty, staff, and students.

Number of self-reported cases of COVID-19

Students

• New cases: 9
• Total cases: 2,966

Employees

• New cases: 1
• Total cases: 434

These numbers reflect only self-reported positive or presumed positive COVID-19 tests from UI faculty, staff, and students on the academic campus since Aug. 18, 2020. These data will not match data reported by UI Hospitals & Clinics or by the Iowa Department of Public Health for several reasons, including different testing time intervals and geographic scope. Students who also are employees of the university are only reported in the student number to avoid double counting. The UI has more than 30,000 students and nearly 30,000 employees. Many employees continue to work remotely but have self-reported to authorize sick leave.

Number of residence hall students in quarantine: 0*

Number of residence hall students in self-isolation: 2**

*Quarantine: Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others.

**Self-isolation: Isolation is used to separate people infected with the virus (those who are symptomatic and those with no symptoms) from people who are not infected.