COVID-19

How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Fuel Record-Breaking Wildfires in 2020? New Study Explains

May 5, 2025

Photo depicts a firefighter and flames from the 2020 Apple fire in California.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted many facets of life, including health care, schools and the work environment. A new study by UC Merced researchers shows evidence that the pandemic also fueled an elevated number of wildfires in the United States that year. How? With schools...

"Central Valley Portraits" Exhibit Showcases Everyday Life, Including Grief and Hope, in Merced

There's no doubt that it's been a tough year. A global pandemic, political division, social unrest, wildfires and more have inundated people's lives. Now, a local exhibit created by a UC...

People participate in a march against anti-Asian hate.

Q&A: Alumnus Sang Hoang Founds Nonprofit to Fight Asian Hate and Injustice

Sang Hoang ('20) says he has had enough. The University of California, Merced alumnus is tired of seeing countless attacks on Asian Americans, which have only increased amid the coronavirus...

Central Valley Caravan to Provide Labor Rights Information to Farmworkers

Farmworkers can learn more about their labor rights and workplace safety protections as a mobile informational caravan makes multiple stops across the Central Valley this weekend. UC Merced's...

A computer-generated image depicts the coronavirus.

UC Merced Professor Studies How Best to Speed COVID-19 Recovery at Home

A UC Merced professor is collaborating with faculty from UCLA and the University of Illinois in a study that aims to find how people might best deal with COVID-19 at home. Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, a...

A lit cigarette is seen in an undated image.

Smokers Light Up More Cigarettes Following California COVID-19 Lockdown Order, Study Finds

The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has been felt around the world. COVID-19's grip has affected people's mental health and sense of what was once normal, prompting them to turn to new...

Merced County Public Health Officer Dr. Salvador Sandoval administers a COVID-19 vaccine.

Report Addresses Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination in California

As news headlines continue to focus on seeing the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. As of May 18, California has recorded more than 3.6...

Farmworkers receive facial coverings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysis Shows Pandemic's Toll on California Workers in High-Risk Industries

California is getting a closer look at exactly how workers in high-risk industries across the state have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time, UC Merced's Community and...

Professor Colleen Naughton (center) poses with first-year doctoral student Ana Grace Alvarado (left) and fourth-year undergraduate student Fernando Adali Roman, Jr (right). Photo by Veronica Adrover, UC Merced

Naughton Lab Creates Dashboard to Track Global Wastewater Testing for Covid-19

After the COVID-19 pandemic struck, scientists across the globe realized they could track the virus by testing sewage water. School of Engineering Professor Colleen Naughton pioneered a dashboard to...

Bobcat Won’t be Stopped by Pandemic, Creates a Resource for Students  Worldwide

Like many students at UC Merced, pre-medical student Nina Bouzamondo-Bernstein faced uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world. She had applied for more than 40 clinical...