University of Arizona in the News

Millions of people in the U.S. are drinking water that fails to meet federal health standards, including by violating limits for dangerous contaminants. Latinos are disproportionately exposed, according to the Guardian's review of more than 140,000 public water systems across the US and county-level demographic data. Paloma Beamer, a public health researcher at the University of Arizona, found that most Latino residents in Nogales, Arizona, thought that drinking tap water was as unsafe as drinking alcohol and driving, and more detrimental to their health than smoking.

University of Arizona virologists Felicia Goodrum Sterling and James Alwine write that it is essential that until we meet vaccination goals, we must remain vigilant with masking, distancing, avoiding crowds and hand hygiene, to contain the spread of variants until enough are vaccinated to control the pandemic.

University of Arizona researchers are growing batches of the new coronavirus variants in laboratories and plan to test COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against the variants for people with compromised immune systems. Immunologist Deepta Bhattacharya and Jeff Burgess, associate dean for research in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, are interviewed.

The official U.S. death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic recently reached 500,000 people. "I think it's useful for people to know that what they're experiencing right now is a normal reaction," said Mary-Frances O'Connor, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona. "It's happening to way more people than it should be all at once because of the massive mortality rate, but that distress is the natural response to loss."

The University of Arizona reported 21 new positive COVID-19 cases during the period from Feb. 13 to Feb. 22. A total of 14,707 tests were administered during that time frame, resulting in a 0.1% positivity rate. The University of Arizona's COVID-19 vaccine point of distribution, which launched in mid-January, transitioned to be a state-run site on Feb. 18 and hopes to serve 6,000 people per day.

Studies from a handful of nations show mounting evidence that apps can help prevent infections and are a valuable public-health tool. One way apps could improve is in how they measure exposure risk, said Joanna Masel, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson who is leading a pilot study of the Covid Watch app at the university.

The descent stage holding NASA's Perseverance rover can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere, its parachute trailing behind, in this image taken on Thursday by the University of Arizona-operated High Resolution Imaging Experiment camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech produces a robust immune response after just one dose, according to a new Israeli study of vaccinated health care workers at the country's largest hospital. It's also not clear how one dose will perform against different coronavirus strains that are becoming more widespread, including separate strains that were first reported in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil.

Greg Heileman, vice provost for undergraduate education and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Arizona, is working on a project called UnBlockEd that would simplify the transfer credit process by computing those credits to quickly see if they will or will not transfer. Liesl Folks, senior vice president and provost at the University of Arizona, said UnBlockEd will eliminate the need for students to rely on others or pay an institution for their own learning records.

The ongoing pandemic has given rise to a significant and alarming trend of increased alcohol use and abuse – especially among younger adults, males and those who have lost their jobs – according to a new study by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers.