In April, the University of Arizona worked to develop some of the state's first COVID-19 antibody tests. Now, with multiple forms of tests available at UArizona and across the state, Dr. Michael Dake, senior vice president of the UArizona Health Sciences, feels that the state has a good handle on testing. But Dake said he is still seeing the same unorganized pattern emerge with the current vaccination rollout where "the average citizen is left trying to fend for themselves." He is hopeful that the newly elected Biden administration will enact a more coordinated and streamlined vaccination effort.

More than 10 million people in the United States have received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, but as more Americans receive the preventive measure every day, there is still a large percentage of the population that is reluctant to get the vaccine. Dr. Ricardo Correa, an AMA member and director for diversity at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and Phoenix Veterans Affairs Medical Center, said the Latino community should feel confident in the vaccine trial results.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that while white people have the highest overall percentage of COVID-19 cases in the nation, racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by the disease and are dying at higher rates. Experts are looking to medical schools to identify strategies to improve care for people of color and eliminate disparities related to a patient's race or ethnicity. Erika Johnson, a 2020 graduate from the University of Arizona College of Nursing, has committed to mentoring Black students. "The experience of racism is not one of just an annoyance. Those things have real biological impacts," Johnson said.

In his latest COVID-19 modeling report, Dr. Joe Gerald, a professor of public health policy at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, noted a "large, unexpected" decline in cases last week. He speculated the holiday closures of universities and K-12 schools might have played a role in the improving metrics, which he cautioned could be short-lived.

Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, said that despite encouraging recent COVID-19 data in Arizona, it's still too early to tell if the state's numbers are trending downward.

Monoclonal antibody therapy can dramatically reduce the need for hospitalization from COVID-19 in some of the most at-risk populations, but only about a quarter of the doses that were shipped to hospitals across the country has been used. Dr. Cheryl O'Malley, is a professor of internal medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, and has been trying to get the word out about monoclonal antibody therapy. "We need to add this to the arsenal of all the different things we're trying," said O'Malley.

In recent weeks, Arizona and Pima County have seen a record surge in the rate of positive serology tests. At the same time, COVID-19 cases recently dipped from one week to the next. Both metrics, however, still remain at high levels. "It's probably accurate in the sense that ... more Arizonans have been infected and recovered. I think that's an obvious statement that serology doesn't necessarily need to help us answer," said Joe Gerald, an associate professor at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

To accommodate the rapid expansion of immunization, the county is planning multiple drive-thru vaccination centers, including one on the University of Arizona Mall. “The University of Arizona succeeded last year in developing one of the country’s most effective operations for providing diagnostic and antibody tests for COVID-19 to our campus and the community, and we are well-positioned to do the same for delivering COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Michael D. Dake, senior vice president for UArizona Health Sciences.

State health leaders are reporting the highest percentage of positive COVID antibody tests since the pandemic began. About 40% of serology tests have come back positive for the week of Jan. 17, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Joe Gerald, an associate professor at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is interviewed.

A $1.5 million grant fuels a study to understand the occupational risks unique to female firefighters, including those at the Tucson Fire Department.