Health Sciences In The Media

Many cities and counties in Arizona have moved quickly to mandate the use of masks in public to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Now debate is raging over whether Arizonans will comply, a sign of how deeply politicized the issue has become. “In Arizona, mask use in public spaces has increased recently, but it’s far from universal,” said Kate Ellingson, an epidemiologist at the University of Arizona. “We can do better, but it will take political will and logistical might to reverse these concerning trends.”

It began in mid-March. Every time Michael Johnson checked his email, the University of Arizona College of Medicine microbiologist would find a new batch of messages, all asking the same question: Will products made with copper keep the coronavirus at bay? “I was getting three to four emails about it a day,” Johnson said. Some asked if he recommended ingesting copper as a cure. Others wondered if it was a good idea to outfit their homes with it. While copper does have antimicrobial qualities, Johnson and other experts say you should think twice before buying into many of these products’ claims.

University of Arizona alumni Andrew and Kirsten Braccia, who live in the San Francisco Bay area with their four children, were inspired to make their gift after learning about University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins’ plan to reopen campus in the fall using a “test, trace and treat” strategy. The $1.5 million gift will COVID-19 initiatives, students in the College of Nursing and student-athletes.

With new daily coronavirus cases rising in at least two dozen states, an explosion of new infections in Arizona is stretching some hospitals and alarming public health experts who link the surge in cases to the state's lifting of a stay-at-home order close to a month ago. "Perhaps, Arizona will be a warning sign to other areas," said Katherine Ellingson, an epidemiologist at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

From the perspective of Arizona emergency room physician Dr. Murtaza Akhter, the COVID-19 pandemic here could be even worse than the state's numbers are showing. “I am taken aback. I walked into the hospital today, and I was like, ‘Oh my God’,” said Akhter, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, who works at both Florence Hospital and Valleywise Health Medical Center. "We are getting all sorts of patients who look quite sick.”

Continuing coverage: A team of University of Arizona researchers led by William “Scott” Killgore, psychiatry professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson, says loneliness and insomnia triggered by fears of COVID-19 may be driving an increase in thoughts of suicide.

Paloma Beamer, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, writes about ways to minimize risk of coronavirus infection in hotel rooms.

Experts around the country and in Arizona are raising alarms about Arizona's COVID-19 situation because cases and hospitalizations have increased for the past two weeks. Kacey Ernst, an infectious disease epidemiologist and Dr. at the University of Arizona, said all signs seem to point to increasing transmission of the disease. Increased testing could explain increased cases, but not increased hospitalizations, she said. Arizona does appear to be increasing more than other states, she said.

The University of Arizona and the state of Arizona are expanding COVID-19 antibody testing eligibility across the state to include all hospital employees, as well as health care professionals licensed by the boards of naturopathy, homeopathy, podiatry, chiropractic examiners, optometry and nine other health care categories. In addition, eligibility will include corrections officers and child safety workers employed by the state. Testing capacity also is expanding to include a new site in Nogales.

Kacey Ernst and Paloma Beamer, researchers from the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, write about what people should consider and how to minimize risk when flying.