June 23, 2021

Executive Director of Transportation Services Josh Kavanagh highlights new ways to get to and around campus this fall, including the opening of new parking structures; micromobility options such as scooters and bikes; installation of interactive digital kiosks with real time transit information; and alternative transportation options. Josh will also attend the Staff Town Hall on June 30. Register for the Town Hall and send any parking or transit questions for Josh via the registration form.

The UC San Diego Library will safely reopen Geisel Library’s 1st and 2nd (main) floors for quiet, individual study on June 29. Visitors must have their campus ID and show their health screening (employees) and green thumb (students) at entry. About 300 study seats are available with Mac and PC computers, no reservations required. Geisel Library hours will be Sunday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Library services are not available, including access to collections and group study rooms. All other Library buildings and all Library service desks remain closed at this time. 

Campus managers and supervisors at UC San Diego are invited to take part in an interactive learning session designed to adapt your supervisory toolkit to all work environments—from on-site to hybrid and remote. Join the next course from 1-2:30 p.m. on June 24, led by Anne Curtis and Terri Winbush in Human Resources. Register for the workshop.

Between June 1 and September 1, employees will gradually be invited to return to campus for on-site work. A Support Desk has been established to address any questions and concerns campus staff employees may have about returning to campus. The Support Desk is available now with service Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Contact the desk by phone at 858-246-3570 or by email at hr@ucsd.edu.  

Please do not engage in asking others about their vaccination status. Individuals should follow the safety precautions needed to alleviate their own concerns and best take care of themselves, which can include wearing a mask, testing for COVID-19 and getting vaccinated.

Answer: According to the CDC, vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are a safe and effective way to prevent the virus that to date has killed over 600,000 Americans and more than 3.3 million people worldwide.

There are many benefits to getting vaccinated. All three COVID-19 vaccines have shown to be safe and very effective in reducing the risk of getting seriously ill even if you do get infected by the novel coronavirus. No vaccine is 100 percent effective, so the more people in our communities who become vaccinated, the less the virus will circulate among us and the better protected we all will be.

Answer: No, this is false. Every cell in our body uses mRNA as a way to instruct cells on which proteins to make. While they enter cells to conduct their work, they do not enter the nucleus where DNA is stored. The vaccines that use mRNA to instruct cells to build the coronavirus spike protein help prepare your body to produce antibodies that combat coronavirus if you come in contact with it later. The mRNA is quickly degraded once it is in the body, which is one reason why these vaccines must be carefully preserved at very low temperatures. 

Answer: No. None of the authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines or COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19. Get more information from the CDC.