In a lab at New York University, a virologist is growing an engineered version of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus. The “pseudovirus” — which can’t infect humans — will be used to understand how well antibodies produced by the COVID-19 vaccines can fight off the variant. Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, a professor of immunobiology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, is interviewed.

Now that the COVID variant Omicron is confirmed in the U.S., questions are arising around the role of the travel ban. This as new details are emerging about a new travel requirement government leaders are now considering. Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, associate professor and director of the public health policy and management program at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, says to make the travel restrictions more effective he thinks we should also be doing testing, quarantining and isolation.

Childhood autism rates are at the highest level since the CDC began tracking the disorder in 2000. The increase likely reflects improvements in diagnosis and identification, not an increase in incidence. Sydney Pettygrove, PhD, associate research professor and epidemiologist at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, and a principal investigator for the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring site in Arizona, is quoted.

Pandemic-related changes helped provide a continuum of care, while also reducing clinic “no-shows.”

Allison J. Huff, DHEd, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson, is involved in a clinical trial using artificial intelligence technology that analyzes a patient’s words, voice, and facial expressions to detect mental health conditions and integrates with telehealth services.

Nancy K. Sweitzer, MD, PhD, director of the UArizona Sarver Heart Center, discusses results from the AVATAR trial presented at this year’s American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. The trial evaluated surgical aortic valve replacement among asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Jun Wang, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, explains how the new antiviral pills from Merck and Pfizer fit into the framework of existing COVID-19 therapies.

President Joe Biden's multi-pronged approach puts a heavy emphasis on expanding vaccinations to Americans who have resisted getting shots and to provide boosters to all adults. "We need more at-home testing,” said Shad Marvasti, MD, associate professor and director of the public health, prevention. population health curriculum at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Immunologists and virologists say that while it will still take time to determine the variant's real-world impact, our immunity from vaccines and prior infection could take a significant hit if it takes off globally. "I wouldn't say that this one's going to put us back to zero," said Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, a professor and immunobiologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson. "But I do think that if it does spread, it's going to be a bigger problem than any of the variants we've seen before."