COVID-19
Cara Christ is leaving ADHS for a top job at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ is leaving her post next month, as the state contends with a growing number of COVID-19 cases, to take a job in the private sector. Gov. Doug Ducey announced that Christ would be leaving the position on August 27 to become chief medical officer at Blue […]
State will follow new CDC mask guidelines, while Ducey lashes out at feds
State health officials will update its guidance to follow new recommendations from the CDC urging people to wear masks in schools and for everyone, including those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, to wear masks in enclosed public spaces — though they remain strictly voluntary due to new state laws prohibiting mandates. The U.S. Centers […]
CDC says the vaccinated should wear masks indoors in areas with high infection rates
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials on Tuesday urged Americans in areas of the country with the highest surges in COVID-19 infections to once again wear masks when they are in public, indoor settings — even if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The updated recommendations marked a sharp shift from the agency’s guidance in May that […]
Mr. Potato Head ruminates on Trump, coup tourists and Sasquatch
It’s been awhile since Arizona Mirror columnist, playwright and sometimes satirist James E. Garcia has checked in with Mr. Potato Head, America’s favorite gender-neutral tuber turned high-dollar consultant for Republican politicos. Garcia recently caught up with Head backstage at the Arizona Federal Theatre, where thousands had gathered for a weekend rally in Phoenix by former […]
Is another surge coming? Sharply rising COVID-19 cases worry health experts
Arizona had been seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases but new data is showing that cases are continuing to rise, with 11 of the state’s 15 counties having “substantial” spread and the state increasing its number of cases for five consecutive weeks as hospital capacity continues to be strained.
US Black and Latino communities often have low vaccination rates – but blaming vaccine hesitancy misses the mark
By early July 2021, nearly two-thirds of all U.S. residents 12 years and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; 55% were fully vaccinated. But uptake varies drastically by region – and it is lower on average among non-white people. Many blame the relatively lower vaccination rates in communities of color […]
Deadly Delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Arizona
Although COVID-19 hospitalizations are down, genetic sequencing and a recent outbreak in Maricopa County has shown the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus is beginning to take hold in the Grand Canyon state, making up more than one in every five infections in June and accelerating rapidly.
New law prohibiting mask mandates in schools ‘reckless, dangerous and short-sighted’
Public health experts said Arizona’s new prohibition on face masks mandates in schools is a political move not supported by science that endangers children, teens and school staff.
How the rapidly spreading ‘delta variant’ might change your behavior
As the delta variant takes hold, the unvaccinated are in for a rude awakening. It’s not just ignorance — they’re begging for a Darwin Award. Unfortunately, thanks to all these unvaccinated knuckleheads, vaccinated Americans are now being put more at risk, too.
Ducey rescinds 25 COVID-19 executive orders
Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday rescinded 25 COVID-19 related executive orders, including an executive order that required face masks in schools.
CDC study finds racial disparities as schools reopened for in-person learning
WASHINGTON — After last year’s abrupt shutdown of schools due to the coronavirus pandemic, increasing numbers of students returned to in-person learning.
Unvaccinated Arizonans made up 95% of COVID-19 cases in May
More than 95% of COVID-19 cases in May were Arizonans who were not fully vaccinated against the virus, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Friday.