COVID-19 in the News

Two-dose vaccines are typically spaced months and sometimes years apart to provide long-lasting protection from disease. As children begin to get their COVID-19 shots, emerging research in adults suggests that waiting longer between doses could have similar benefits. The first COVID-19 shot generates memory B cells, which help fight infection. Over time, the stronger memory B cells survive while the weaker ones die, notes Deepta Bhattacharya, a professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. A second shot bolsters that protection; if it happens later in the process, when the weaker cells have died, the shot will boost a stronger set of cells.

The first inkling of a new, potentially fearsome threat arrived a few days ago. The latest variant of the coronavirus was on the move, the Biden administration was told. And, before long, evidence emerged that the variant – which would be dubbed omicron – carried worrisome mutations. "I haven't been one to panic about new variants, but this one looks like it might be the perfect storm," said Michael Worobey, an expert on viral epidemics from the University of Arizona.

More Americans are getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that 32% of people in the United States remain unlikely to get vaccinated against the virus. While the issue of vaccine resistance has taken on new urgency and is receiving many more headlines because of the pandemic, hesitancy about inoculations is nothing new. In fact, the sentiment is not only as old as the republic itself, but older. "Interestingly, the points anti-vaxxers made in the 1800s are not much different from points being made today," notes Elizabeth Jacobs, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Arizona.

University of Arizona researchers Brian Mayer, Melissa A. Barnett, Mona Arora, and Sabrina V. Helm write that with the arrival of the fall and winter holidays, consumers are understandably desperate for a "normal" season. For many, that includes big family dinners and Black Friday shopping sprees. But many grocery store workers have experienced high rates of anxiety and depression during the pandemic.

Turning your camera off during virtual meetings can help reduce "Zoom fatigue," suggests new research by Allison Gabriel, McClelland Professor of Management and Organizations and University Distinguished Scholar in the University of Arizona Eller College of Management.

People in rural American say things are back to normal, even though rural America is precisely where the COVID-19 pandemic is worst. According to a recent Atlantic/Leger poll, compared with people in urban or suburban areas, people in rural areas are most likely to feel like things are "back to normal" where they live – 45% thought so, compared with 30% of urbanites and 36 percent of suburbanites. In some rural places, vaccination rates might be low not because people are hesitant but because pharmacies are scarce in their area, or residents had to move for work. "A person might be in one place and get a vaccination, and then 100 miles away working a different area when it came due for their second shot," said Dr. Daniel Derksen, associate vice president for health equity, outreach and interprofessional activities at University of Arizona Health Sciences..

In a new paper published in Science, University of Arizona virus expert Michael Worobey connects the dots from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and shows that an origin other than the Huanan Seafood Market is extremely unlikely.

As eligibility for COVID-19 boosters widens in parts of the U.S., some people wonder when they should time their shots to maximize protection. It might make sense for healthy, non-elderly people to time a booster shot to a couple of weeks before a big event, such as an international trip or a wedding, said Deepta Bhattacharya, a professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. But timing depends on the circumstances of your life and community. If COVID-19 cases are low and stable in your community, and your day-to-day life doesn't present a lot of exposure risk, waiting a couple of months may be fine. "Two doses is still doing a pretty good job of keeping you out of the hospital," he says.

This story centers on the University of Arizona's "wide success in its vaccination efforts" particularly its "stalwart" distribution site, which was originally implemented as a Pima County vaccine clinic, but transitioned to a state-wide site. "A real challenge was converting course instruction to online modalities where it had been (originally) in the classroom," said Steve Holland, chief risk officer for the University of Arizona. "Some faculty needed training and assistance to have their curriculum converted to an online format, so there were a lot of growing pains in the early days (of remote learning)."

University of Arizona assistant professor of nursing Jessica Rainbow and adjunct instructor Claire Bethel offer five key takeaways from their studies of nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic.