A team of university researchers says a statewide shelter-in-place order could help avert a "catastrophe" in Arizona hospitals. "It has now reached a point to where we are truly in a crisis here in Arizona. The sooner we intervene the better off we will be. Every day of delay will result in needless hospital admissions and ultimately, what we also care about — deaths," Joe Gerald, UA public health researcher and COVID-19 modeling team leader.

The health officials in charge of making models, or predictions, as to where the virus is spreading are painting a dire warning about the holidays. “If something is not done quickly, we worry that this outbreak will overwhelm our hospital system by the end of December,” said Joe Gerald, PhD, an Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Arizona. “We’re very worried that his is a very vulnerable period.”

With more than 1 million travelers dispersing across the country in one day, health experts are asking those who gathered with people outside their households over Thanksgiving week to get tested for Covid-19. Arizona's test positivity on Monday was almost 20%. If officials there don't address the rise in cases in the next few weeks, the state will suffer hundreds of preventable deaths, the University of Arizona's Zuckerman College of Public Health said in a report Friday.

University of Arizona Heath Sciences researchers developed one of the most accurate COVID-19 antibody tests available and now have shown antibodies persist for months after infection, providing long-term immunity.

A Glendale ICU nurse is making a garden to honor his patients who died of COVID-19. "We're not going to have as much healthcare capacity to take care of people. Then you add the flu on top of that, and the fact that the whole country is a hotspot, so the numbers will keep on going up," said Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Dr. Christian Bime, an assistant professor in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson's Department of Medicine, is interviewed about his research into the long-term effects of COVID-19.

Frank Porreca, a professor of pharmacology and anesthesiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, talks about green-light exposure therapy as a low-cost, non-invasive treatment option for individuals with migraines.

Public health experts contacted by USA TODAY say high-profile state sports teams are not helping by evading local health orders to play sports. “They’re moving to a place that also has increasing cases and risks of exposure,” said Leila Barraza, associate professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. “You’re going to interact with more people when you’re traveling. You’re safer at home.”

Hospitals and intensive care units in Arizona saw the highest total amount of their beds use on Sunday since the spike of COVID-19 cases in July and are facing sweeping staff shortages due to the pandemic. Joe Gerald, a public health expert from the University of Arizona, said this is happening across the country. While it is a priority to give care to a person who needs care, nurses and doctors are still needed to provide that necessary care.

Although the 2020 holiday season will be unlike any other we have experienced, with social distancing, safety protocols and restrictions on gatherings, millions of Americans still plan to travel throughout the holiday season. Gary Kirkilas, a clinical assistant professor of child health at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, discusses his concerns about holiday travel with kids.