Monday, March 15, 2021

COVID-19 vaccine update: Why two doses are needed

In this video, Dr. Patricia Winokur, executive dean of the Carver College of Medicine and professor of internal medicine—infectious diseases, explains why two doses of the mRNA vaccines (like Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech) are necessary. Read more about the first authorized single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson here.

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II) application now open

The University of Iowa has received additional funds through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to distribute to students with exceptional financial need who are enrolled during the spring 2021 semester. The HEERF II Grant application is now open in MyUI and will remain open through March 31. Information about eligibility and how to apply is available through the Office of Student Financial Aid. Applying does not guarantee funds will be approved.

Campus operations

The university continues to monitor self-reported COVID-19 testing data on campus, while also tracking state, region, and national COVID-19 infection rates.

University of Iowa seven-day rolling average

University of Iowa self-reported COVID-19 testing

These data reflect new cases since March 12, 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: 3
  • Total cases: 3,033

Employees

  • New cases: 0
  • Total cases: 450

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: 5**

*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.