Health Sciences In The Media

An article examines the number of positive COVID-19 cases at each of the three state universities. Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health and prevention at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, is interviewed.

The University of Arizona Arthritis Center's "Bear Down for Health: Sport and Science in the Era of COVID-19" livestream panel discussion and reception will take place on Sept. 16. Special guests include Dave Heeke, Dr. Daniel Derksen and Dr. Janko Nikolich-Zugich.

Continuing coverage: Dr. Elizabeth Connick, an immunolobiologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucon said that she doesn't disinfect and wash food packages, frozen or otherwise. "I did that for about a week, then decided there would be more cases if the virus was transmitted that way. I don't think there is a lot of virus hanging around on those packages," Connick said.

With the coronavirus spreading through colleges at alarming rates, universities are scrambling to find quarantine locations in dormitory buildings and off-campus properties to isolate the thousands of students who have caught COVID-19 or been exposed to it. Joe Gerald, an associate professor of public health policy and management at the University of Arizona, said the idea of identifying cases, contact tracing and quarantining is the right approach. He said it's just going to be hard to do in dorms, frat houses or places where students congregate.

Efforts are underway to bring to market a vaccine for a fungal infection that occurs in the deserts of the Southwest. With recent studies showing promise, there is a renewed push. Dr. John Galgiani, director of the University of Arizona's Valley Fever Center for Excellence, is heading up vaccine research there and believes the vaccine shown to prevent valley fever in mice should be available for dogs, which also get infected in large numbers, as soon as next year.

Dr. Shad Marvasti, an associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, said Memorial Day weekend was a disaster in terms of the pandemic. “We paid the price for it when we saw the increase in the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Arizona. Hopefully, we’ve grown wiser and more sober from the realities of COVID-19.”

With a holiday weekend upon us, Dr. Shad Marvasti, with the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix says Arizonans are going to have to continue wearing masks and physical distancing, so the state can avoid another big spike in COVID-19 cases.

For Eddie Case, his battle with COVID-19 didn't end when he went home from the hospital. In March, his symptoms were so severe he had to spend 20 days in a medically-induced coma. Six months later, he said his life isn't the same. "People have fatigue and confusion, difficulty focusing and concentrating," said Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Efforts are underway to bring to market a vaccine for a fungal infection that occurs in the deserts of the Southwest. With recent studies showing promise, there is a renewed push. Dr. John Galgiani, director of the University of Arizona's Valley Fever Center for Excellence, is heading up vaccine research there and believes the vaccine shown to prevent valley fever in mice should be available for dogs, which also get infected in large numbers, as soon as next year. A veterinary vaccine company, Anivive, is developing it. "It's very promising," said Galgiani.

Dr. Ole Thienhaus, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, discusses the combined impact of long-term extreme heat and a pandemic on mental health.