CDC: If you received the J&J shot, get boosted with Moderna or Pfizer
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 the two available mRNA vaccines [...]
Data on COVID-19 allows Arizonans to understand this invisible enemy
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, and the public to know [...]
Today marks one year since the first COVID-19 vaccine doses reached Arizona
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 for frontline healthcare workers. On [...]
CDC expands COVID-19 booster authorization to 16- and 17-year-olds
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 younger than 18. Today’s recommendation, [...]
Vaccine breakthrough data report added to ADHS COVID-19 dashboard
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 and a 15.2 times greater [...]
Now is the time to get vaccinated against influenza
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, and we expect flu cases [...]