Arizona Doctor Urges School Mask Requirements After Her Child Was Exposed To COVID-19 Aug. 11, 2021 Christina Bergin, MD, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, is urging the governor to require masks in schools after her child was exposed to COVID-19. NPR
How to Ask if Someone Is Vaccinated and Other Pandemic Etiquette Aug. 10, 2021 A parent can legally ask individual teachers if they’re vaccinated, but the teacher doesn’t have to answer, said a recent advisory in Education Week, a journal of K-12 education news. “Anyone can refuse to answer the question, but they should be prepared to be treated as if they are unvaccinated,” wrote Sarah Whitley Coles, MD, a family physician and assistant professor at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, in Dear Pandemic, a website and newsletter that offers family-friendly medical advice. Tampa Bay Times
Dr. Murtaza Akhter on Unvaccinated Students: ‘If I Were Parent, I’d Want My Kids Wearing Masks’ Aug. 10, 2021 Murtaza Akhter, MD, emergency physician at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, discusses the CDC's announcement that fully vaccinated students do not need to wear masks in schools. MSNBC - Craig Melvin Reports
More Than 100,000 New Daily COVID Cases Reported in U.S. Fueled by Delta Variant Aug. 10, 2021 As CBS News' Omar Villafranca reports, the U.S. is now averaging more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases daily. The former head of the FDA warns that numbers could become higher as the new school year kicks off. Dr. Shad Marvasti, a family medicine physician and associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix, joins CBSN's Elaine Quijano with more. CBS News
Dr. Benjamin Lee Named Chair of College of Medicine – Tucson Department of Urology Aug. 9, 2021 Dr. Lee will continue leading the department after increasing faculty, clinical visits, surgical procedures and research over the last five years. Read more Image
Building Bridges Between Cancer Center and Tribal Communities Aug. 9, 2021 Dr. Monica Yellowhair unites her cancer expertise with a love for education and her community to strive for health equity and a cancer-free Arizona. Read more Image
Public Health Faculty and Students Pursue Global Research Aug. 9, 2021 Six fellows working with faculty mentors will conduct research around the world as part of this year’s Global Health Equity Scholars fellowship program. Read more Image
F.D.A. Aiming to Speed Vaccine Booster Shot for Immunocompromised Patients Aug. 9, 2021 The FDA is speeding efforts to authorize extra doses of the coronavirus vaccines for Americans with weakened immune systems. Additional doses may help some people with weak immune systems, but others may show little improvement, and still others may not need extra doses at all. In a study of organ transplant recipients, only a third of the patients who received a third dose showed a benefit. “I wish we had a more rational process to identify individuals within these categories who actually need it versus not,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, an immunologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson. The New York Times
Kids in Eye of ‘Perfect Storm’ of Tucson’s COVID-19 Spread Aug. 9, 2021 Children 16 and younger are accounting for a growing number of new COVID-19 cases in Pima County and nationwide. And that rise comes at a time when more than 100,000 county residents — those younger than 12 — are ineligible for the vaccine as schools reopen across Arizona, a state that has prohibited mask mandates in classrooms. “We’re seeing the perfect storm of another resurgence,” said Helene Felman, MD, clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the College of Medicine – Tucson and chief of general pediatrics at Banner Health in Tucson. Arizona Daily Star