According to the state, more than 2,000,000 Arizonans have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Some people are still hesitant to roll up their sleeves to get their shots. Joe Gerald, associate professor of public health at the University of Arizona said while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has a lower effective rate, people should not be steered from getting the vaccine. "I think concerns around the effectiveness are misplaced," Gerald said. "It does an equally good job and keeps patients out of the hospital, and keeps them from dying."

Not enough of the population has been vaccinated, and variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 remain an unknown factor, said Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti, a physician and associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, who called the governor's executive order premature.

There’s still a long way to go before we reach the 70% to 80% vaccination rates experts say will allow life to return to something like normal. But COVID-19 vaccination efforts have been picking up pace in Arizona. Dr. Joe Gerald with the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona wrote in a recent COVID-19 report that Arizona remains in a state of elevated risk, but said, "while I believe this winter’s outbreak will be Arizona’s largest, a smaller wave is possible this spring. However, a spring wave should it occur will pose a lesser threat as most of those at risk of hospitalization and death will have been vaccinated. For this reason, the short-term outlook remains favorable."

Dr. Joe Gerald, associate professor of public policy and management at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is a guest on The Mike Broomhead Show to discuss COVID-19 trends in Arizona.

Remote interventions using an Internet-based app and telephone outreach to engage patients with osteoarthritis to self-manage their disease have demonstrated the potential to improve some symptoms, at least in the short term, showing the potential for tools to interact with OA patients without having them come into an office or clinic. Dr. Kent Kwoh, director of the University of Arizona Arthritis Center in Tucson, is quoted.

A new study by researchers at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health finds a family-centered approach for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children shows positive results in reducing behaviors such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health in partnership with the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health Mobile Health Units delivered COVID-19 vaccines to underserved community members at the Fillmore Gardens in downtown Phoenix on Tuesday. Residents trickled down to get vaccinated under canopies set up in the courtyard of Fillmore Gardens, which is subsidized housing run by the city for people 62 or older and people with disabilities.

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health in partnership with the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health Mobile Health Units delivered COVID-19 vaccines to underserved community members at the Fillmore Gardens in downtown Phoenix on Tuesday. Residents trickled down to get vaccinated under canopies set up in the courtyard of Fillmore Gardens, which is subsidized housing run by the city for people 62 or older and people with disabilities.

Experts say that even after the pandemic is over, masking up on a plane is a smart idea — and for some, it should be common practice. “We still have high levels of transmission, the threat of new variants and limited vaccine access, ” said Kacey Ernst, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, noting that global access will probably stay low even after the vaccine is readily available in the United States. “Air travel brings together people from all across the world, meaning risk gets pooled. As long as there is high levels of transmission, I expect the mask mandate will hold.

Experts say that even after the pandemic is over, masking up on a plane is a smart idea — and for some, it should be common practice. “We still have high levels of transmission, the threat of new variants and limited vaccine access,” said Kacey Ernst, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, noting that global access will probably stay low even after the vaccine is readily available in the United States. “Air travel brings together people from all across the world, meaning risk gets pooled. As long as there is high levels of transmission, I expect the mask mandate will hold.”