Flu Cases in Arizona Are Low Compared to November 2019 Numbers Nov. 23, 2020 Flu cases are low in Maricopa County, especially compared to this time last year. Doctors believe it is partly because of COVID-19 preventative measures such as mask-wearing, but they also say it is too early to tell if the state will have a bad flu season. "The main reason we know this is because of the data that we have from the southern hemisphere where we see that we had a very mild flu season," said Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. KSAZ-TV (Fox) Phoenix
How to Clean Your Coffee Maker to Make Your Brew Taste Even Better Nov. 23, 2020 The warm, moist environment of most coffee makers can be a breeding ground for germs like bacteria or mold. "We see growth from that residual moisture," said Kelly Reynolds, a University of Arizona professor of public health specializing in water quality, food safety and disease transmission. "There are a lot of little crevices in a coffee maker that stay moist for a long time." SELF
Valley 101 Podcast Answers FAQs About Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Nov. 23, 2020 The CDC is advising people not to travel for Thanksgiving. However, some will still need to travel. Kacey Ernst, a professor in the University of Arizona College of Public Health and an infectious disease epidemiologist, provides advice on what to expect and how to protect yourself when traveling by plane. Arizona Republic
Glendale Nurse Recovering From Rare Disorders Linked to COVID-19 Nov. 22, 2020 Although extremely rare, health experts have linked Guillain Barre Syndrome and Bell's Palsy to COVID-19. "While we have a few case reports, it is not something that is common either," said Dr. Shad Marvasti with the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Arizona's Family (3TV/CBS 5) Phoenix
So You're Flying This Thanksgiving? Here's Which Parts Are the Riskiest. Nov. 22, 2020 Last week, the Centers for Disease Control advised Americans against traveling for Thanksgiving, though it stopped short of issuing a mandate to that effect, and the warning may have come late enough that many won’t change their plans. "The airport is where all the bad behavior happens," said Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist and adjunct professor at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, based on her own experiences flying during the pandemic. "When we have been talking about traveling, we've been so focused on the airplane – understandably, it's a small enclosed space – but we can't just focus on one piece of the travel process. It has to be the entire thing." Slate
Thanksgiving Travel Isn't Recommended. But if You're Going to Sky Harbor, Here's a Guide Nov. 21, 2020 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that Americans shouldn't travel for Thanksgiving, due to the spike in COVID-19 cases nationwide. "You want (your mask) to be comfortable, because if it's not, you are going to be tempted to try and lift it up a little bit to breathe or shifted around on your face or something like that," said Kacey Ernst, an epidemiologist with the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Arizona Republic
UArizona Clinical Trial Expanding After Early Results With Personalized Cancer Vaccine Nov. 21, 2020 Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences are working to help treat head and neck cancer by using personalized vaccine. It works in combination with the immuno-therapy drug Pembrolizumab. Molly Cassidy, who was diagnosed with oral cancer and participated in the clinical trial, is interviewed. KOLD-TV (CBS) Tucson
Passengers Crowd Sky Harbor as CDC Calls for Canceling Thanksgiving Travel Plans Nov. 20, 2020 Health experts say that if you do need to travel, they recommend that you wear both a face mask and a face shield. You should sanitize frequently and get tested for the coronavirus before you visit with others outside your household. "If there's any possibility of limiting contact with others and limiting it to outdoors as opposed to indoors, all these things would be preferable," said Dr. Shad Marvasti, an associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Arizona's Family (3TV/CBS 5) Phoenix
Citing the COVID-19 Spike, Arizona's Largest Health System Reinstates Visitor Restrictions Nov. 20, 2020 Arizona's largest health care system is reinstating visitor restrictions due to exponential increases in COVID-19 cases that could soon overwhelm hospitals across the state. Effective 6 p.m. If the rise of coronavirus transmission in Arizona is not quickly addressed, new COVID-19 cases "will overwhelm our capacity to provide optimal hospital care within a matter of weeks," according to a Nov. 18 report by Joe Gerald, an associate professor at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health who has been tracking the pandemic’s spread in Arizona for months. Arizona Republic
Tech Talk: Personalized Cancer Vaccines, Virtual STEM, and Biotech Startups Nov. 20, 2020 A clinical trial at the University of Arizona Health Sciences designed to study the safety and effectiveness of a personalized cancer vaccine in combination with the immunotherapy drug Pembrolizumab will expand its cohort after promising preliminary data was presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer. Inside Tucson Business