Health Sciences In The Media

Meredith Hay, a professor of physiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is working with a team of researchers to find out why so many people suffering from COVID-19 report symptoms of brain fog and fatigue.

Tuesday was the last day for COVID-19 vaccinations at Harmon Park. The pop-up site in coordination with Maricopa County, the City of Phoenix, and the University of Arizona Health Sciences is working to reach individuals in underserved communities. Jeffery Hanna, a research coordinator for the University of Arizona College of Public Health says many residents in parts of south Phoenix do not have transportation or internet access. He says they’ve been working with senior and public housing facilities to sign them up.

There is growing interest among Maricopa County's Board of Supervisors to reconsider the county's mandate requiring masks in public. Elected officials need to proceed with caution right now, said Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, since lifting a mask mandate "is kind of like giving the full green light to people, to act without caution."

Scientific experts from across the United States will be answering the public's questions on the COVID-19 vaccine as more vaccines become available. University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson virologist Felicia Goodrum Sterling is a co-chair of this town hall series.

Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy, a professor in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and member of the university's BIO5 Institute, discusses the state of sleep health today and how UArizona researchers are contributing to a future of better sleep.

Ricardo Correa, MD, program director of endocrinology fellowship and director for diversity at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, and colleagues provide perspective on the historical structural racism that has contributed to how disparities in diabetes are viewed by the medical establishment.

In a new report about the status of COVID-19 in Arizona, Joe Gerald, an associate professor in the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, said that as case positivity continues to decline and the number of vaccine doses continues to rise, Arizona could see herd immunity by late April or early May, adding that herd immunity is based on several factors including "vaccine efficacy, viral transmissible and natural immunity."

An experimental pill meant to combat COVID-19 could soon be used for widespread treatment. Jun Wang, an associate professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, said the clinical trial results look promising.

Experts say local mobile vaccination clinics have been a success in bringing in people of color. Joe Gerald, an associate professor with the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is interviewed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking variants of the coronavirus that it considers concerning. The variant traced to the United Kingdom is the most prevalent with more than 5,500 confirmed cases across the U.S., including 50 cases in Arizona. Felicia Goodrum, a virologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine –Tucson, discusses how these variants evolve and whether the current vaccines available are effective at protecting people from serious illness or death.