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 [...]
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. [...]
An estimated 90,000 people in Arizona are living with hepatitis C, and about 10,000 new cases are reported each year. But most people who have hepatitis C don’t know it. That’s why we recommend getting tested for this virus, which causes inflammation of the liver and is the leading cause of liver cancer. Hepatitis C [...]
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 [...]
Like many of you, public health professionals are closely watching trends reflected on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard, including week-to-week increases in cases since early April. The 7,200-plus cases reported for the week beginning May 8 represent a small fraction of the 150,000-plus cases reported during the week of Jan. 9, when the Omicron variant was [...]
Governor Ducey, at the recommendation of ADHS, has terminated the state’s COVID-19 Declaration of Emergency. His announcement makes clear, however, that public health’s response to COVID-19 will continue. Jessica Rigler, our assistant director for public health preparedness, put it this way during a recent ADHS virtual town hall on COVID-19 vaccines for children: “Public health [...]
Following yesterday’s authorization of a second COVID-19 booster dose for ages 50 and older and those with weakened immune systems, new data shows just how much of a difference a booster dose makes. During February, compared to individuals who were fully vaccinated with a booster, unvaccinated people ages 18 and older had: 4.9 times the [...]
