COVID-19 in the News

A new report by University of Arizona researchers finds that 20% of Arizona grocery store workers surveyed have experienced severe levels of mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the major sources of that stress: customer behavior.

The U.S. government has increased its spending to boost the economy during the pandemic. History suggests that high levels of public expenditure will continue to be a norm for a long time to come. "People come to benefit from it and then to expect it," said Price V. Fishback, a professor of economics at the University of Arizona. "That makes it harder to go back to a time of low spending."

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 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. "We're running into uncharted territory," said Deepta Bhattacharya, an associate professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona, who was not involved with the study. "The uncertain issue is how long that protection is going to last against the current variants, as well as some of the ones that might get selected for if you wait too long."

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.

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins, Arizona State University President Michael Crow and Northern Arizona University President Rita Cheng write that they are particularly concerned that students who are in rural areas are not applying to college at the rate of their urban counterparts, and that they are united in their objective of addressing this trend.