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 [...]
Updated community levels from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) carry a designation of “high” for nine Arizona counties, including Maricopa. This means masks are recommended for public indoor settings. The other eight counties with high COVID-19 community levels are Apache, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, and Yavapai. Community levels and [...]
I’m happy to hear that so many parents are planning to vaccinate their children younger than 5 years old against COVID-19. Among other age groups, vaccines have been safe and highly effective at preventing severe illness. Now COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone starting at 6 months of age. For parents of those younger than [...]
This is an exciting week for me and many other parents of young children. Following the Food and Drug Administration’s authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for children at least 6 months old, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending vaccination for all children. Nearly 400,000 Arizona children in this age group are now [...]
As a public health professional and mother of young children, I am happy to see the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) begin formal consideration of COVID-19 vaccination for children as young as 6 months. The key to this federal review is determining if the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh any potential adverse effects. The FDA [...]
Community levels reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now carry a recommendation of mask use in public indoor settings in Navajo and Apache counties. Based on the latest community levels for Maricopa, Pima, Coconino, Cochise, Gila, and Mohave counties, the CDC recommends talking to your health care provider if you are [...]
Are you pregnant? Do you have a friend or loved one who’s expecting? Maybe your baby’s already arrived, you’re breastfeeding, or you’re even just thinking about getting pregnant. Whatever your situation, congratulations are in order! There’s even more good news for you: Whatever comes next, you can protect yourself and your child safely with vaccines. [...]
So, your little one starts kindergarten soon. How exciting! You still have a few months before the school year starts, so now’s the time to make sure students-to-be have the vaccines needed to stay safe as they head into a new chapter of life. Much attention is rightly paid to COVID-19 these days, but we [...]
Arizona continues to see increases in COVID-19 cases, as is happening elsewhere in the country. Wednesday’s weekly update to the ADHS COVID-19 Data Dashboard adds 11,498 cases, of which 10,359 were reported during the week of May 15. The dashboard added 40 new deaths. This continued gradual increase in cases, which isn’t straining our health [...]
Since COVID-19 vaccines became available in late 2020, millions of Arizonans have gone to mass-vaccination sites, retail pharmacies, health care centers, doctors’ offices, and elsewhere to get lifesaving shots. Today, ADHS and partner agencies are providing even more widespread availability by making COVID-19 vaccines available in neighborhoods through trusted community partners. More than 100,000 doses [...]
