Tucson researchers following Arizona's COVID-19 trends are bracing against the renewed push for "herd immunity" by the Trump administration. Antibody tests in recent weeks show a statewide positivity rate of about 10%, according to Arizona Department of Health Services data, while University of Arizona public health researcher Joe Gerald finds it closer to 12%. The positivity rate including all tests statewide since the pandemic began is around 7% while UA testing shows it is about 4% in Pima County. Regardless of the exact numbers, this means one thing to Dr. Janko Nikolich-Zugich, head of the University of Arizona's Department of Immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine: Roughly 90% of Arizonans have not been exposed to the virus, and are therefore vulnerable.

Despite a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state, people still celebrated Halloween on Saturday. In the meantime, health experts are warning big Halloween parties and gatherings could be COVID-19 "super spreaders." Dr. Shad Marvasti with the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix is interviewed.

The University of Arizona Health Sciences is poised to lead a statewide effort to address health disparities and community health gaps made apparent by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a University press release emailed to journalists.

Continuing coverage: University of Arizona Health Sciences will spearhead efforts to bolster community health outreach and engagement in light of COVID-19 disparities.

The University of Arizona has licensed new radio-labeling chemistry for PET contrast agents to startup TheraCea Pharma.

The Arizona portion of an 11-state effort, funded by a $12 million federal award, to address the uneven impact of the pandemic on racial and ethnic minority communities will be led by the UArizona Health Sciences.

Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, is interviewed about how Arizona can better prepare for a new coronavirus surge.

While the days leading up to most presidential elections carry a certain frenzied, exhausted energy fueled by attack ads and nonstop robocalls, this election cycle has felt abnormally anxiety-inducing for many Americans. “We’re certainly in the middle of a perfect storm,” said Dr. Esther Sternberg, research director at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Humans respond physiologically to stress — we sweat, our hearts race — and those responses, Sternberg said, are essential for our survival.

Omitting radiation and giving fewer chemotherapy treatments may become the new standard of care for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) classified as either stage 1 or 2, according to the findings of the S1001 study led by a University of Arizona Health Sciences researcher.

ENR Southwest’s 2020 Best Projects competition drew 74 entries from across Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. The University of Arizona Health Sciences Innovation Building (HSIB) was selected in the Best Project category. The region’s 18 Best Projects will now advance to the national level, competing with winners from nine other regions to be considered for ENR’s Best of the Best awards.