The importance of influencers can’t be overstated when it comes to encouraging people to protect themselves from COVID-19. That’s why we were so pleased to share on our social media accounts word that former President Donald Trump says he received his booster dose. The other living former presidents have encouraged vaccination, and President Joe Biden [...]
If you are among the approximately 321,000 people in Arizona who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, it’s natural to have questions about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “expressing a clinical preference” for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines over the one you received. The CDC notes that this preference for [...]
In a public health emergency, as with any other battle, it’s critical to have the best, most accurate information. That’s why ADHS has invested considerable staff time and resources during the pandemic to gathering, synthesizing, and presenting data critical to understanding what COVID-19 is up to. Having this data allows public health professionals, healthcare providers, [...]
One year ago today, Governor Ducey announced that Arizona had received its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine. With safe, free, and highly effective COVID-19 vaccines readily available these days at retail pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and community clinics, it seems long, long ago when the vaccine supply was extremely limited and the first doses were reserved [...]
Even more Arizonans are eligible for booster doses of safe, free, and highly effective COVID-19 vaccine following today’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcement recommending boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds. At this time, only the Pfizer booster is recommended for 16- and 17-year-olds, just as Pfizer is the only vaccine authorized for those [...]
Today, we’ve launched the first version of a report showing statewide COVID-19 case and death rates by vaccination status. The report demonstrates the significant increases in risk of COVID-19 infection and death among those who are not vaccinated. In October, unvaccinated persons in Arizona had a 3.9 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 [...]
A year ago, the precautions so many Arizonans took against COVID-19 - staying indoors, avoiding large groups, and wearing masks - also helped protect against the flu. There were fewer flu cases in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many Arizonans have returned to their pre-pandemic routines, [...]
From the time most people were children, parents and teachers stressed the importance of washing our hands. In the nearly two years since COVID-19 appeared, health officials around the world have repeated the same good advice. As we recognize National Handwashing Awareness Week, with holiday gatherings underway and COVID-19 still very active in Arizona, removing [...]
I’m glad to see the ADHS data dashboard showing increased demand lately for COVID-19 booster shots and primary vaccinations. Federal officials and ADHS have advised repeatedly that vaccination is the best way to prepare for uncertainties posed by the Omicron variant, not to mention from COVID-19 in general. While there are news reports saying that [...]
Arizona icon and Senator Barry Goldwater was just 6 months old in July 1909 when the Bureau of Vital Records began keeping track of births and deaths throughout Arizona. Today, the Arizona Department of Health Services’ bureau is one of just three vital records units to be awarded national accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation [...]
