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.

Drs. Paloma Beamer and Kacey Ernst of the College of Public Health helped inform an anxious public about air travel during a pandemic.

Nurses Mike and Missy Skaggs share their battle against pancreatic cancer after Mike was diagnosed with the disease at 47. Dr. Rachna Shroff, associate professor of medicine and chief of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, explains the disease is difficult to treat because there is no preventative screening to detect pancreatic cancer.

Top public health officials are taking their own advice about scaling down the holiday amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "My husband and I are bubbling with my parents, who live 90 miles away. We're being vigilant about quarantining for 14 days and then we’re all going to get tested in advance. We had to decide to (celebrate) with one set of in-laws, instead of both, so that was an awkward conversation. But we’ll probably celebrate Christmas with my husband’s family," said Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist and adjunct professor at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

According to the University of Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, seven people have died this year across Arizona from ingesting hand sanitizer. "Seven may sound small when compared to deaths from COVID-19 but seven is large when it should be zero," said Steve Dudley, director of the Center.

Experts say the rush for tests is now putting a strain on the country's already-flagging coronavirus response infrastructure. "No diagnostic test is 100%. Also, testing is one moment in time, so just because you tested negative on Wednesday doesn't mean you won't be positive on Thanksgiving," said Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist and adjunct professor at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "The problem is that testing feels like this very tangible thing that you can do, and I get it, but it's only one piece."

Arizona CoVHORT is a multiyear study that will answer questions about risk factors for COVID-19 and how the virus impacts long-term health outcomes.

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.