The effectiveness of vaccines against the coronavirus stands out as one of the pandemic’s few good news stories for humanity. "We saw there was a natural pathway to immunization we could take advantage of,” said Dr. Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunobiologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

Dr. Fernando Martinez, a professor of pediatrics at the College of Medicine – Tucson, explains how children who are vaccinated can help bring life closer to normal. This interview originally aired on KUAZ-FM (NPR) Tucson, AZ.

Health experts say smaller, labor-intensive vaccine events targeting vulnerable communities will need to continue throughout the state in order to make progress. "Where we are now is we already took care of the very vaccine-welcoming part of our population — the folks who really wanted to get vaccinated by and large have probably already had an opportunity to do so. We have to work harder for every shot. That's where we are now," said Elizabeth Jacobs, a professor of epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

Kelly Reynolds, professor and chair of the community, environment and policy department and Joe Gerald, associate professor of public health policy and management from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, share information about the activities and minimal risks for fully vaccinated individuals.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that causes painful lumps and scarring. Despite its prevalence, the condition remains poorly understood — especially in people of color. Dr. Vivian Y. Shi, an assistant professor of medicine and dermatology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, explains that essential early diagnosis and treatment is not always an option for people of color, which may contribute to the increased prevalence of HS among the Black community.

After a bad reaction to the flu vaccine 30 years ago, a cancer patient feared that a bad reaction to the COVID vaccine would add to a host of issues he was already facing. Dr. Ricardo Correa, an endocrinologist at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, answered questions to address the concerns.

Dr. Rachna Shroff, section chief of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, discusses the progress for cancer treatment, options and outcomes. “I think about where we’ve come from and how much incredible progress we’ve made, and it gives me so much hope. It’s a new era in cancer therapy. We have cracked the code on so many different cancers and we’re making progress in every single one,” Dr. Shroff said.

A new UArizona Health Sciences class is preparing students from across the university to creatively solve health care challenges using design thinking.

The Arizona Department of Health Services warns people not to use antibody testing to assess immunity and not to use it to get another dose of the vaccine if your antibody level is low or negative. ”I think one of the things we don't fully understand is exactly how many or how much antibody you need to confer protection and so I think that's sort of the next frontier of things we've got to figure out," said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunobiologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson.