With mask mandates and occupancy restrictions largely lifted, recovery from the pandemic continues to hinge on the vaccine. "There's no question, there's not even a close second, we need to do everything possible to make sure as many Arizonans as possible are vaccinated," said Dr. Joe Gerald, an associate professor of public health policy at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

The three state universities are expected to receive more than $746 million in one-time and ongoing funding from the state's general fund, including $77 million for the University of Arizona Health Sciences.

Dora Valencia, a doctoral student at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, single-handedly helped hundreds of people get signed up for the COVID-19 vaccine and is being recognized as this week’s Heart & Sol recipient.

Arizona is the most successful state nationwide for immunizing adults against COVID-19 in its smaller rural counties, according to a CDC report. “If we go back to January and February and look at the progress we’ve made since then, it’s astounding and impressive how much our communities have come together to address this,” said Dr. Daniel Derksen, director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health.

AzREADI, or the Arizona Rural EMS Advanced Telemedicine Demonstration Initiative, is bringing immediate lifesaving telemedicine access to remote areas of rural southern Arizona. The program is funded by a HRSA grant awarded to the UArizona Center for Rural Health at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

Dr. Ricardo Correa, program director, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship at the College of Medicine ⁠– Phoenix, and volunteers with the Phoenix Allies for Community Health Clinic take vaccines door to door in search of people to immunize. They have vaccinated nearly 500 people so far, but are disappointed by the hit-and-miss process. “The reception has been like 50% or 60%,” Dr. Correa said.

Legislation signed earlier this month by Gov. Doug Ducey covers a wide swath of issues aimed at making telehealth in Arizona a viable option for care. The new legislation makes Arizona one of only a handful of states to tackle the interstate issue, according to Nancy Rowe, who retired this week from her role as associate director for public policy and outreach at the University of Arizona Telemedicine Program.

Water storage tanks are one one of the most vulnerable points in a public water supply. There are millions of cases of gastrointestinal or respiratory illness that no one suspected came from their drinking water. “It’s an endemic level of illness that we just sort of live with. We have to decide, is it an acceptable risk?," said Dr. Kelly Reynolds, a professor and chair of the community, environment and policy department at the Mel and Enid College of Public Health.

The University of Arizona has seen a 26% increase overall for all its epidemiology applications compared to this time last year and it's still accepting new applicants. Interest in the MPH Applied Epidemiology program has nearly tripled. "I think it would be right to say that COVID-19 has really brought public health to the forefront of our lives," said Dr. John Ehiri, a professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. This story was picked up by 26 Fox affiliate television stations across the U.S., including Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.

Population health researchers say that they still expect the national death rate to return to more normal-looking levels as Covid-19 deaths recede. But that doesn’t mean the pandemic’s impact will disappear. “What the challenge will be is being able to quantify those lingering effects. They won’t be as dramatic, but that doesn’t make them any less real,” said Dr. Heidi Brown, an associate professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.