Health Sciences In The Media

The majority of Arizona’s COVID-19 cases are in its two most urban counties: Maricopa and Pima. However, some of the state’s more rural counties have also been hit hard. To find out more about how things are playing out here in Arizona, The Show spoke with Dan Derksen, the associate vice president for health equity, outreach and interprofessional activities at University of Arizona Health Sciences.

Alumna Savannah Guthrie interviews University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins about the university's plan to bring students, faculty and staff back to campus in the fall.

The Navajo Nation has more per-capita COVID-19 infections than any place outside of New York and New Jersey. In April, its rate of infection was 10 times higher than that of Arizona, which encircles most of the Nation. “If you're having to haul water from a well many miles down a dirt road, and bring it back to water the animals, and also use it for washing and cooking and things like that, it’s really hard to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds,” said Daniel Derksen, director of the University of Arizona’s Center for Rural Health.

The University of Arizona will soon begin analyzing blood samples from hundreds of thousands of Arizonans to determine who has been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and developed antibodies against it.

Dr. Theresa Cullen has been named the new Pima County Public Health Director, effective June 1. Dr. Cullen is the former Assistant U.S. Surgeon General and alumna of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

The University of Arizona will soon begin analyzing blood samples from hundreds of thousands of Arizonans to determine who has been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and developed antibodies against it.

The University of Arizona will soon begin analyzing blood samples from hundreds of thousands of Arizonans to determine who has been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and developed antibodies against it. Dr. Michael Dake, senior vice president of the University of Arizona Health Sciences, talks about the state’s efforts to ramp up testing for the Covid-19 anti-body.

The University of Arizona recently launched a texting system called, "AZCOVIDTXT" to help track the health of the surrounding community and keep community members informed during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts say heart disease may be particularly worrisome in the era of the new coronavirus. Fearing COVID-19, "patients experiencing a heart attack or stroke are delaying their essential care, causing a new public health crisis,” said Dr. Martha Gulati, chief of cardiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Antibody testing will help health experts better assess how many people contracted the novel coronavirus. "As they grow, they'll start to produce the spike protein," University of Arizona immunologist Deepta Bhattacharya said. "You can basically trick the cells into making what you want."