Health Sciences In The Media

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.

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.

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.

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 state of Arizona antibody testing initiative will include 31 sites across the state as it expands to all 15 counties. Dr. Janko Nikolich-Žugich, professor and head of the Department of Immunobiology at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson says the testing will show how widespread the disease is, and how many people contracted it without showing any symptoms.

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.

University of Arizona President Dr. Robert C. Robbins took part in a roundtable discussion with Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, president of Howard University, where college students asked about what steps are necessary for universities as they try to keep students and staff safe during a global pandemic.

As the spread of COVID-19 affects people around the world, scientists have been working overtime to develop potential treatments. Among them is a Jun Wang, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Arizona who recently identified four compounds that can block the replication of the virus within a cell, providing a promising starting point for the development of drugs that can treat the disease.

After finishing his degree at the University of Arizona as a doctor in pharmacy, Jeffrey Asman, 56, said the decision to go back to school in his “second half of life” was an easy one. “I was 48 or 49 wondering if my old college credits were any good. It is cliché to say but really true that it is never too late.”