COVID cases remain on a plateau across Arizona.
For the week ending May 2, cases dropped for the first time since the week ending March 21, with 4,946 people testing positive, according to Dr. Joe Gerald, an epidemiologist and professor in the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health who has been tracking the virus for more than a year.
That means an estimated 68 Arizonans per 100,000 residents are testing positive. The state hit a low of 38 cases per 100,000 people on Sept. 8, 2020, between the summer and winter waves, and a low of 54 cases per 100,000 people on March 23 following the winter wave, with cases rising since then.
Advertisement: The operation includes two mobile vaccination units, which are able to administer 250 vaccines per day each, according to a county press release. The units will run through June 26, operating at two concurrent locations for three days, with one day to tear down and move to the next location. The locations were selected based on census tract data and the Social Vulnerability Index of the area to identify highly vulnerable communities. The sites will offer walk-up vaccinations of both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine for those 18 and older on a first-come, first-served basis. Patients will return to the same mobile site 28 days after their first visit to receive their second dose, following CDC guidance. Help will be available to all who need assistance with mobility, language or other accommodations.
Pima County Supervisor
Steve Christy cited a bogus study making its way around right-wing websites when he made a run at lifting Pima County s mask ordinance at last week s board meeting. Christy s motion died for lack of a second. In justifying his push to lift the ordinance that requires Pima County residents to wear face masks in public when they can t physically distance from other people (and also requiring businesses to ask customers to wear masks), Christy cited a study he said was from the Medical Center at Stanford University that purported to show that wearing masks did nothing to stop the spread of COVID and could in fact be hazardous to people s health.
The Arizona Department of Health Services yesterday recommended resuming the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after the CDC and FDA safety review Sunday.
On Friday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the J&J vaccine, but members wanted clear messaging about the possible risks for women younger than 50 years old.
On April 13, the CDC and FDA recommended pausing the vaccine after six reported cases of a rare adverse event among women developed blood clotting with low blood platelets after receiving J&J. The CDC determined the event is rare, occurring at a rate of 7 per 1 million vaccinated women between the age of 18 to 49.
Advertisement: The county is sharing the FDA Fact Sheet, with updated information addressing the concerns that led to the pause. The county has about 12,600 J&J vaccine doses as of Monday. Dr. Richard Carmona, the former U.S. surgeon general and UA Task Force director, said it remains unclear whether the blood clotting is directly related to the vaccine “but the benefit of this vaccine is enough that we all agreed that it should go back to market.” “We need to get this vaccine back out there because it is a very effective vaccine,” said Carmona. However, vaccine demand has stalled nationwide and in the state with tens of thousands of appointments available at state vaccination sites last week.