National Tracking Awareness Week: Helping inform critical public health decisions
This is National Tracking Awareness Week, which highlights the work of environmental public health tracking programs in Arizona and elsewhere. Tracking efforts include monitoring community health, identifying communities at risk, supporting epidemiological studies, educating the community, informing local planners, and providing input to health policy decisions. That’s no small task, and it’s a big part of what we do at [...]
It’s hot out there. Drink plenty of water to stay healthy
It should go without saying that during the hottest time of the year, in one of the hottest states in the country, it’s important to stay hydrated. But how much water and other fluids do you need when temperatures are extreme? The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined an adequate daily fluid intake for men is about [...]
Here’s what you can do with the BA.5 subvariant establishing itself in Arizona
The Omicron subvariant BA.5 accounts for a rapidly growing share of sequenced cases in Arizona — 53% during the week ending July 2 and likely even higher today. Evidence suggests that this version of the virus that causes COVID-19 is better at eluding immune protection offered by vaccination or previous infection. It’s understandable to be concerned about BA.5 and to [...]
State Hospital caring for patients, training next generation of caregivers
The Arizona State Hospital (ASH) provides “the highest and most restrictive” level of long-term psychiatric care in the state to Arizonans with mental illnesses who are under court order for treatment. Our staff provide high-quality inpatient psychiatric care, using a multi-disciplinary team approach, and are committed to treating patients with dignity and respect. The team at ASH, located at 24th [...]
New COVID-19 cases higher in this week’s update due to older reports from new provider
Cases added in this week’s COVID-19 data dashboard update are higher than they’d ordinarily be because we have added older data for a new provider reporting electronically. The dashboard’s summary page reports new cases reported since last week’s update. That usually includes some COVID-19 cases from tests administered before the previous week. There are quite a few more in this [...]
Great news: Children under 5 can now get COVID-19 vaccine
After more than two years of battle with an invisible killer, we can now vaccinate the youngest among us against COVID-19. This is great news. These vaccines have met strict federal requirements for safety and effectiveness to be authorized and recommended for children as young as 6 months old. Parents, I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to [...]