Today's COVID-19 Updates

Today: COVID-19 employee forum at noon

Update: How to direct patients to the Family Medicine Clinic with no access from Elevator L

COVID-19 by the numbers

C-19 adult inpatients: 8 yesterday, 268 to date
C-19 pediatric inpatients: 0 yesterday, 12 to date
% positive C-19 tests: 8% yesterday, 13% to date
Employees tested positive (self-reported): 10 yesterday, 208 to date
Telehealth screenings: 312 yesterday, 22,115 to date

Keeping you in The Loop

Cancer care inspires career in nursing

Hannah Bormann was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 14. As a patient at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, not only did she have surgery that successfully removed the malignancy, she was inspired to pursue a career in health care.

Brenner stepping down as chair of Department of Biochemistry

Charles Brenner, PhD, chair and departmental executive officer (DEO) of the Department of Biochemistry in the Carver College of Medicine, has announced that he will step down from his leadership position, effective Aug. 13. Kris DeMali, PhD, professor and vice chair of the department, will serve as interim chair and DEO.

UI Health Care provides more inclusive hair and skin products to patients of color

When Jodi Tate, MD, learned a patient in the Crisis Stabilization Unit didn’t have access to the products they needed, she teamed up with Kanya Ferguson, MD, director of the UI Health Care Ethnic Skin Care Clinic, to take action. Working with several colleagues on a multidisciplinary team, they can now ensure supply kits are available for all people of color.

Inside the race to develop a safe COVID-19 vaccine*

As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, researchers are racing to develop a vaccine at record-breaking speeds. Patricia Winokur, MD, executive dean of UI’s Carver College of Medicine, spoke with Popular Science about early COVID-19 vaccines.

*Subscription service, limited access

COVID-19 announcements and reminders

• Please eat in designated break rooms or cafeterias. Keeping food out of clinical work spaces is one way to keep our campus clean and safe.
• MyChart is the free, easy way to manage your health care from the comfort of home, 24/7. We’ve created a new resource for our patients to help them become more familiar with MyChart, including two step-by-step how-to videos. View our page, Get to know MyChart.
• UI Health Care workers are invited to join the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes (HERO) Registry.
• Research study seeks UI Health Care workers ages 18 to 100 years with or without COVID-19 exposure. The purpose of the study is to determine if COVID-19 proteins (antibodies) are protective against repeat infection. Questions? Email: eye-clinicaltrials@uiowa.edu

We Stand Together

Check out how two UI Hospitals & Clinics Department of Plastic Surgery team members are masking up and working hard!

Post a picture of yourself wearing a mask (or shield) on social media and use the hashtag #MaskUpIA to show how you keep yourself and others safe. Or, email your photo to noon-news@uiowa.edu and share why you #MaskUpIA.

Other news and updates

• UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital’s will join the national pediatric anesthesia safety and quality initiative known as Wake Up Safe, to help make anesthesia even safer for pediatric patients.
• The Food Pantry at Iowa is distributing free food from noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at the South Entrance of the Iowa Memorial Union by appointment only. Questions? Email studorg-foodpantry@uiowa.edu.
• Junior faculty in any department/college who wish to pursue pilot projects related to basic and clinical areas of cancer research can apply for a seed grant from Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center’s American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant, due at noon Monday, Aug. 3.
• UI Hospitals & Clinics has rolled out a new feature to keep friends and family informed during a patient’s surgical procedure.

Outside UI Health Care

Rummage in the Ramp aims to reduce landfill waste virtually

In years past, the event has provided a space to donate and purchase used items, reducing landfill waste and raising money for local volunteer groups, The Daily Iowan reports.

US sets single-day record for new COVID-19 cases

Yesterday was a record-breaking day in the U.S., as more than 60,000 new coronavirus cases were reported, KCRG reports.

Twenty named storms predicted for hurricane season, the most since 2005

A research team at Colorado State University is now forecasting 20 named storms for this hurricane season, CNN reports.

Henley Index: Japan tops 2020 list of world’s most powerful passports

The Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the world’s most travel-friendly passports, has just released its third report of the new decade, CNN reports.

Ryder Cup to be postponed to 2021

The biennial Ryder Cup, which pits a U.S. team against Europe, was scheduled to take place from Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin but will instead be played in the same time frame next year, Reuters reports.

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