CDC strengthens its recommendation on COVID-19 booster shots
If you’re fully vaccinated and age 18 or older, you’re likely due for a booster dose of safe, free, and highly effective COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strengthened its recommendation for boosters, saying everyone 18 and older should get them – and sooner rather than later. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the [...]
Where we stand following discovery of a COVID-19 variant called Omicron
On Tuesday, Nov. 23, ADHS and medical leaders appealed for Arizonans to do the following to curb the spread of COVID-19: Get vaccinated, and get kids ages 5 and older vaccinated: azhealth.gov/FindVaccine; If you are fully vaccinated and age 18 and older, get a booster: azhealth.gov/FindVaccine; Mask up, physically distance, keep your hands washed, stay home if sick, and follow [...]
An appeal from our medical community: ‘Help us help you’
This week, hospital medical leaders and I joined Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th U.S. Surgeon General and special adviser to Governor Ducey on public health emergency preparedness, to share ways we can work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Arizona. Hospitals are stretched thin dealing with seriously ill unvaccinated patients, while attending to the health needs of others. [...]
It’s a week to get to know more about antibiotics
U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week is an annual event that occurs this year from Nov. 18-24 to raise awareness of the importance of appropriate antibiotic use to decrease the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotics are important tools to help fight bacterial infections and potentially save lives; however, some bacteria may develop resistance to these medications. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop [...]
Take steps to keep foodborne illness from spoiling holiday gatherings
The holiday season that begins on Thanksgiving and continues through New Year’s means many things to many people. One thing it means to most of us is food. Meals and appetizers with family and friends help make the holiday season special. But there can be a downside to all that delicious food. If it isn’t prepared, cooked, and stored properly, [...]
Arizona needs everyone’s help to flatten the COVID-19 curve
The 5,070 COVID-19 cases added today to the ADHS dashboard don’t have an asterisk. COVID-19 cases are rising. We can’t say exactly why this increase is happening even before the holiday season, though cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to be largely among unvaccinated people. But we all know how to flatten the curve. That’s why ADHS, our local health partners, [...]