Arizona Bioscience News: Covid-19 now leading cause of death in Arizona; NAU to host STEM workshops for Native students; West Nile on the rise

October 28, 2021

By Matt Ellsworth

Sgt. Suzanne Nelson of the Arizona National Guard fills a syringe with the COVID-19 vaccination. Photo by Flickr user thenationalguard.

Arizona is ready to provide COVID-19 vaccines to kids ages 5-11, health officials say / Arizona Republic

State health officials say Arizona is ready to provide the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to kids ages 5 to 11 after work that has included recruiting additional pediatric providers to be vaccinators and working with schools and local health providers to identify “easily accessible locations” for vaccinations.


New report shows COVID-19 is now leading cause of death in Arizona / ABC 15

With nearly 21,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, Arizona now ranks sixth per capita nationally, and the disease has become the leading cause of death in Arizona, higher than both heart disease and cancer.


Northern Arizona University project to host STEM workshops for Native American K-12 students / Arizona Daily Sun

A new Northern Arizona University program will host a series of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workshops for Native American students at K-12 schools in the Four Corners region to “build a pipeline to get Native American students engaged in scientific computing.”


Former Medicis exec plans to take Scottsdale pharmaceutical startup public / Phoenix Business Journal

Claude Maraoui, a former executive of Scottsdale-based Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. is making moves to take his new dermatology firm, Journey Medical, public on Nasdaq, a decision expected to raise as much as $40 million.


The Innovators: Seedscout founder Mat Sherman connects startups to global capital / Phoenix Business Journal

Mat Sherman, a Scottsdale native and Arizona State University alum, has created Seedscout, a platform that helps connect investors and early-stage startups outside coastal, venture capital hubs. So far, it has facilitated connections that have led to $1.7 million in investments.


Why are West Nile virus cases on the rise in Arizona? Valley 101 podcast explores / Arizona Republic

Arizona Republic audio producer Alexandra Watts joins the Valley 101 podcast to answer questions about West Nile virus in Arizona and why the number of cases is increasing in 2021.


First responder COVID-19 infection rate higher than health care workers, UArizona study finds / KTAR

A recent University of Arizona Health Sciences study found first responders had twice the rate of COVID-19 infections when compared with health care personnel, suggesting the need for better personal protective equipment and more widespread vaccination against COVID-19.


Worried about losing your COVID-19 immunity? Arizona professor says not so fast / KJZZ

Deepta Bhattacharya, a professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson, has worked to develop antibody tests for COVID-19 that are in wide use in Arizona. He explains why declining antibody numbers don’t necessarily indicate declining immunity.


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