A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report released today offers more evidence that vaccinating as many eligible people as possible against COVID-19 is a critical part of protecting kids from infection and severe illness. The analysis in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) found that emergency department visits and hospital admissions [...]
The COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have to keep us moving forward. Join the millions of Arizonans who have already been fully vaccinated. That's the call to action in a new ADHS public-service announcement you'll see on TV and online. COVID-19 vaccines have brought us a long way. Families and [...]
It’s a natural question that we hear regularly: Amid substantial COVID-19 spread, what does ADHS recommend for people going to large events, small gatherings, grocery stores, restaurants, and more? The answer is simple and no doubt frustrating to many: As much as we all want to be done with COVID-19, the pandemic isn’t done with [...]
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 [...]
