Cases and deaths added today to the ADHS COVID-19 dashboard are far lower than they’d ordinarily be because of a data-processing issue. After days of averaging more than 3,000 cases added to the dashboard, today’s update adds just 822. Meanwhile, the same issue combined with data cleaning means the number of total deaths since the [...]
As incoming interim director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, it’s my privilege and solemn responsibility to succeed Dr. Cara Christ, who has so capably led Arizona’s COVID-19 response. I’m honored to be part of the team she has built -- talented professionals working nonstop to promote public health amid a global pandemic. It’s [...]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that it has developed a plan to begin offering booster shots this fall for those who have received the Pfizer/Comirnaty and Moderna vaccines to protect against COVID-19. It anticipates boosters as well for those who received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine, but that [...]
Among the #VaxFacts videos we launched last week is one noting there’s no evidence that getting vaccinated can affect your fertility. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has strengthened its recommendation that pregnant women get vaccinated against COVID-19. This is based on a new analysis of current data that found no increase [...]
The federal government has authorized a third dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for people with weakened immune systems. This important news applies to Arizonans with moderately to severely compromised immune systems. These individuals are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, and an additional vaccine dose for them could help prevent serious illness and death. [...]
If unanswered questions or claims you’re seeing on social media are keeping you from getting vaccinated against COVID-19, our Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts have a new feature to help: #VaxFacts. These video Q&As address subjects such as: whether getting vaccinated can affect your fertility (answer: no); why it’s incorrect to describe the approved vaccines [...]
Like many of you, I’m looking with concern at daily updates to the ADHS COVID-19 data dashboard. Cases are rising, though with 3.4 million people in Arizona fully vaccinated, including a large share of older Arizonans more prone to severe outcomes, we haven’t seen the same levels of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths as during [...]
It’s been an active Arizona monsoon so far, and that means it’s also time to be thinking about mosquitoes and guarding against West Nile virus. West Nile, the most common mosquito-borne disease in Arizona, causes symptoms in about 20% of those infected ranging from fever, headaches, and body aches to, in rare cases, inflammation of [...]
Currently, COVID-19 is primarily impacting unvaccinated individuals, reports Dr. Christ. The best protection is to be fully vaccinated. Find a convenient location here: https://t.co/Y6yHvXLUNN pic.twitter.com/FKfQHBLsTD — AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) July 21, 2021 One of the important ways ADHS shares information with Arizonans is through the news media. Arizona’s newspapers, online news outlets, and [...]
Real-world data continues to show the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines – and the consequences of not getting the shot. The facts are clear and compelling: In May, 95.4% of the 16,910 reported COVID-19 cases were among those who weren’t fully vaccinated. In June, 92.4% of the 12,911 reported COVID-19 cases were among those who weren’t [...]
