Arizonans Age 16 And Up Can Be Vaccinated At State Sites.
“Our goal has been and remains to get vaccine into the community as quickly, widely and equitably as possible,” said Governor Ducey. “Given a thorough review of vaccination data, anticipated vaccine supply, and current demand among prioritized groups, now is the time to take this critical next step.”
As of this morning, Arizona has administered 2,904,159 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to 1,831,456 individuals, including 1,136,413 who are fully vaccinated. As of Monday morning, there were over 58,000 appointments still available from Friday’s release.
The change announced today advances a hybrid approach that had been based on age and also has had counties vaccinating frontline essential workers. It applies to appointments still available for this week at state sites in Maricopa and Pima counties.
“We anticipate more and more vaccine reaching Arizona heading into April, making it possible now to expand prioritization,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. “We have been flexible and nimble throughout, while expanding the availability of state sites to vaccinate large numbers of people rapidly.”
ADHS now opens appointments at 11 a.m. each Friday for State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona State University’s Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Tempe, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, the University of Arizona in central Tucson, and, as of this Friday, Yuma Civic Center in Yuma County.
State sites complement county vaccination programs and the growing availability of vaccine at pharmacies and federally qualified health centers participating in federal vaccination programs. Sites using the Pfizer vaccine, including those run by the state, can vaccinate those 16 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines, which are allocated to counties, are approved for those 18 and older.
Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine. Those without computer access or needing extra help registering can call 1-844-542-8201 to be connected with someone who can assist. Note: You can use the patient portal at podvaccine.azdhs.gov to make an appointment for a relative.
To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, please visit azdhs.gov/COVID19Vaccines.
vaccine
More Than 1 Million Arizonans Now Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19
With Hot Temperatures Coming, State Is Making Plans To Continue Vaccine Momentum.
“Every dose of the COVID-19 vaccine administered to an Arizona resident represents an essential step forward in our fight against COVID-19,” said Governor Ducey. “I’m so grateful to the thousands of staff and volunteers at vaccination sites statewide for their dedication and hard work, which has made this milestone possible.”
As of Tuesday morning, 1,007,600 Arizonans have received either both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine. A total of 2,590,447 doses have been administered to 1,628,587 individuals since COVID-19 vaccine doses began arriving in Arizona in December.
“Of the many important milestones reached to date, this one is especially significant because it’s individuals who now have the full benefit of vaccination against COVID-19,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). “With 1 million fully vaccinated, there are still 6 million more Arizonans who potentially can have this protection as more vaccine becomes available.”
Nearly 700,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at state mass-vaccination sites, which use a model that has won attention from other states and praise from President Joe Biden. On Monday, 77-year-old Surprise resident Judith Beaulieu received the 500,000th COVID-19 vaccine dose administered at the State Farm Stadium vaccination site, which has operated 24/7 since opening Jan. 11.
As summer approaches, ADHS and its partners are finalizing plans for continuing mass-vaccination operations in preparation for additional vaccine supplies expected from the federal government. In early April, for example, the State Farm Stadium site will convert to overnight operation to protect staff, volunteers, and patients from extreme heat. To replace that capacity at State Farm Stadium and other sites, the state is identifying indoor venues allowing for continued vaccination.
“The state has been able to establish mass-vaccination sites quickly at outdoor venues. Now we will replicate that in places allowing us to continue this momentum as temperatures climb,” Dr. Christ said. “We expect considerably more vaccine from the federal government in the coming weeks, and state sites will be part of a response that includes community-level efforts by counties, vaccine available at pharmacies and similar settings, and more.”
Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine, and registration is available for state sites and many others at podvaccine.azdhs.gov. Those without computer access or needing extra help registering can call 1-844-542-8201 to be connected with someone who can assist.
“The COVID-19 vaccines have been proven safe and highly effective, and I urge all Arizonans to get the vaccine as soon as they are eligible,” Governor Ducey said. “I received my first shot on March 2, and I’m looking forward to getting my second.”
To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, please visit azdhs.gov/COVID19Vaccines.
State Adopts A Unique Model For COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization
Vaccine Prioritization To Continue Based On Age To Protect Those Most At Risk.
Arizona will continue its age-based approach to administering the vaccine. The new hybrid approach will ensure the distribution of vaccine doses to individuals at high risk of severe outcomes, including hospitalization and death, from COVID-19 due to age while allowing local health departments to prioritize frontline essential workers through employer-based vaccination strategies.
“This critical update provides more clarity for Arizonans and will result in rapid administration of vaccine to our most vulnerable populations,” said Governor Ducey. “Continuing to vaccinate older Arizonans against COVID-19 will help protect those at risk and cover a majority of Arizonans with chronic medical conditions. And, this hybrid approach will ensure an equitable distribution of vaccine to our frontline workers who are working with the public every day.”
Ninety percent of Arizona’s deaths from COVID-19 have been among those 55 and older. Approximately 65 percent of those hospitalized due to COVID-19 are in that age group. Including adults 55 and older in the vaccine prioritization category will cover between 56 and 66 percent of Arizonans with medical conditions that place them at severe risk for adverse outcomes due to COVID-19. This figure grows to between 68 and 79 percent of Arizonans with high-risk medical conditions being eligible for vaccination when age of vaccine eligibility includes those 45 and older.
To provide Arizonans with clarity, a range for transitioning the age-based eligibility has been established. Local health departments may transition to the next age category when they reach 55 percent of that age category vaccinated OR feel that there is no longer demand for vaccine. ADHS will be adding data to the AZDHS website showing the percent of the population vaccinated in each age category to provide information for when counties may be progressing to the next age category. This strategy allows everyone in the state to know approximately when they will be eligible to receive vaccine. Those with chronic conditions will be included in their respective age categories.
This unanimous recommendation by the Arizona Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Advisory Committee (VAPAC), informed by data and strategies from federal and local partners, is intended to protect those who are most at risk for severe outcomes due to COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death. VAPAC includes state, local, and tribal experts, and health care partners.
“As more vaccine reaches Arizona, we will continue refining our plan to maximize the benefits of this still-limited resource,” said ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ. “Moving to a hybrid approach will allow us to rapidly and efficiently administer the vaccine and provide all Arizonans with a clearer estimate of when they will be eligible to be vaccinated.”
ADHS will open approximately 50,000 vaccination appointments at State Farm Stadium and Phoenix Municipal Stadium at noon on Tuesday, March 2, to those 55 and older for appointments starting March 4. Arizonans 55 and older will also be eligible to schedule appointments at pharmacies and federally qualified health centers participating in the federal vaccination programs.
In order to ensure younger populations at greatest risk of exposure will have access to vaccination as priority populations shift, local jurisdictions are able to prioritize frontline essential workers, based on available vaccine. Information on the phase each county is currently vaccinating, the number of doses ordered by each county, and location of vaccination sites can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine.
More than 1.8 million doses of vaccine have been administered to more than 1.2 million Arizonans, including nearly 600,000 who have received both doses.
Those in groups prioritized for vaccination can register for appointments at State Farm Stadium, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and multiple other vaccination sites at podvaccine.azdhs.gov/. Information about all vaccination sites across Arizona can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine. Those without computer access or needing extra help registering can call 1-844-542-8201 to be connected with someone who can assist. Note: You can use the patient portal at podvaccine.azdhs.gov to make an appointment for a relative in a prioritized group, such as someone 55 and older.
To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, please visit azdhs.gov/COVID19Vaccines.
Scientists Track California Variant in Arizona
Healthcare officials strive to open more COVID-19 vaccination clinics as deliveries arrive.
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has created a COVID-19 Variant Sequencing Dashboard to make it easier for anyone to keep track of the variants found in Arizona at pathogen.tgen.org/covidseq-tracker/footer.
At the same time, the Department of Health and Human Services reports that both Moderna and Pfizer have been experiencing a backlog of orders for the COVID-19 vaccine because of severe weather in the eastern part of the country. So far, more than 1.3 million doses have been administered across Arizona. Yavapai County has administered nearly 50,000 vaccines; more than 5,000 are second doses.
In mid-February, Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH), which operates Verde Valley Medical Center and Flagstaff Medical Center, reported administering 10,000 doses, with more than 2,500 going to community residents. “Right now our goal is to give at least 500 doses a day,” said NAH Chief Quality Officer Dr. John Mougin.
“The most common side effect is soreness in the arm and, really, that’s no different than any other vaccine you may have received. It’s from the injection itself and the needle,” he said. “You can get low-grade fevers, body aches or joint aches. Those things we’re seeing a little bit more frequently with the second shot than the first shot.”
NAH officials are working with Yavapai County to open vaccine clinics in Camp Verde and Sedona, which they expect to occur in the next couple of weeks, depending on vaccine availability. “We are distributing the vaccine in Prescott as well as the rest of Yavapai County at a fairly decent rate,” said Mougin. “One of the NAH goals is to partner with the counties to really make Coconino County and Yavapai County the leaders of the state as far as the rate of vaccinations.”
Currently, NAH is vaccinating those in the 1a and 1b categories. “I have confidence that by late spring we should be doing 1c,” he said.
Phase 1a includes healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents and staff members.
Phase 1b includes priority populations such as education and childcare workers, teachers and staff. This includes all school and higher education staff members who normally interact with other staff and students, and bus drivers, cafeteria workers, facilities staff, etc.; law enforcement and protective services (corrections, other emergency response staff); individuals aged 65 and older.
Phase 1b additional populations include:
Power and utility workers
Food and agriculture related occupations (packaging and distribution workers, grocery and restaurant workers)
Transportation and material moving occupations (public transportation providers, airlines, gas stations, auto shop workers, and other transportation network providers)
State and local government workers that provide critical services for continuity of government
Other essential workers (e.g., business and financial services, supply chain for critical goods, funeral services
Meanwhile, as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to decline in Northern Arizona, NAH Chief Nursing Officer Tyffany Laurano says creative strategies have helped to ensure that enough healthcare workers have been available to treat patients. “One thing that we’re most proud of as an organization is we maintained our nursing ratios throughout the duration of the pandemic, and that has not changed. We have travelers [traveling healthcare workers] with us, as well as some temporary staff.”
Healthcare officials continue to stress masking and distancing. “Even after you get vaccinated, it’s important to continue using all the tools available to help stop this pandemic as we learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work in real-world conditions,” said Yavapai County Community Health Services Public Health Coordinator Terri Farneti.
For COVID-19 vaccine information and appointment availability, visit yavapai.us/chs/Home/COVID-19/Vaccine. QCBN
By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
Governor Ducey Issues Advisory To Accelerate COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Governor Doug Ducey today issued an advisory to accelerate the statewide distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and move doses of vaccine to where they can be rapidly administered to the Arizonans.
“The COVID-19 vaccination is our best shot at returning to life as it should be. Over the last two weeks, the COVID-19 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium has become a national model for vaccine administration,” said Governor Ducey. “With adequate vaccine doses, we can build on this success, both at our existing vaccination sites, and at additional sites across the state. This advisory will provide transparency in the pace of vaccination administration, and allow us to direct vaccine doses to where they will be most rapidly distributed.”
The advisory requires healthcare providers and local health agencies who administer the COVID-19 vaccine to report data to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) indicating the pace of vaccination distribution. It also allows the state to reallocate vaccination doses to where they will be most rapidly distributed and extends the requirement for hospitals, testing laboratories, and other health care facilities to report detailed information about COVID-19.
“We’re waging a heroic effort to get the COVID-19 vaccine distributed, and it’s been a real team effort,” Governor Ducey said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without the partnerships we’ve formed with the Arizona Cardinals, Walgreens, Arizona State University, the Ivy Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, and American Medical Response. We owe a debt of gratitude to each of these organizations, and to all the healthcare workers on the frontlines.”
“Now,” Governor Ducey added, “our federal partners need to do their part. They need to prioritize quicker distribution of the vaccine to the states, so we can get the vaccine out of freezers, off of shelves, and into the arms of Arizonans.”
Today’s announcement builds on the success of the COVID-19 Vaccination Site at State Farm Stadium launched on Jan. 11. The site, administered by the State of Arizona and operated by ADHS and community partners, has dramatically expanded access and accelerated the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In total, 486,338 vaccinations have been administered statewide. Local health agencies and healthcare providers have administered 407,757 doses of the vaccine to Arizonans since Dec. 16, at an average rate of 9,708 vaccines per day statewide. ADHS has administered 79,112 doses since Jan. 11 at an average rate of 5,247 per day, at just one site. ADHS will launch a second site on Feb. 1, at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium near Tempe.
Both ADHS-operated sites are capable of administering 6,000-12,000 vaccinations per day, but with limited vaccine doses available, the sites are operating at partial capacity. Last week, the federal government denied a request by ADHS to allocate 300,000 additional vaccine doses per week to Arizona. As a result, the Phoenix Municipal Stadium will launch with just 500 appointments scheduled per day.
The advisory issued today provides better insight into the pace of vaccine distribution by local health agencies and healthcare providers. Current data indicates some providers reporting as much as 100% of their vaccine doses yet to be administered. This order will require local health agencies and healthcare providers to report their plans to administer unused doses and allow ADHS to redirect unused vaccine doses and accelerate delivery across the state. As additional vaccine doses are secured, ADHS aims to expand its vaccination sites in northern, central, and western regions.
Previous Actions on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
- On Nov. 18, Governor Ducey signed an Enhanced Surveillance Advisory ensuring up-to-date data on COVID-19 vaccinations.
- On Dec. 2, Governor Ducey issued an Executive Order mandating the COVID-19 vaccine be made available for free, ensuring all Arizonans receive the vaccine without financial barriers. The Governor also announced that the state’s vaccination plan would prioritize health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, teachers and vulnerable populations.
- Arizona received the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine doses on Dec. 14. The distribution of the vaccine began in the state’s largest population centers, Maricopa and Pima counties.
- On Dec. 16, Governor Ducey announced 10 Arizona healthcare frontline workers would be among the first Arizonans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
- On Dec. 27, ADHS announced that Arizonans 75 and older would be prioritized to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the second phase of distribution following a recommendation by a panel of state, local, and tribal public health experts.
- On Dec. 30, Governor Ducey directed ADHS to implement a state-directed allocation model to ensure a uniform approach to the vaccination of high-risk and high-priority Arizonans.
- On Jan. 8, Governor Ducey and ADHS announced that the state would open a 24/7 vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale to dramatically expand the availability of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The site is a collaborative effort operated in partnership with and support by ADHS, the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Arizona State University, and the Arizona Cardinals.
- On Jan. 13, ADHS announced that Arizonans 65 and older would be prioritized to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the second phase of distribution following a recommendation by a panel of state, local, and tribal public health experts.
- On Jan. 16, Governor Ducey and ADHS announced the launch of the second state-operated vaccinate site at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The site will begin operations on Feb. 1.
The Shot Felt Round the World
Healthcare officials across Arizona high-fived, cheered, elbow-bumped and even shed tears of gratitude as the first doses of the Moderna vaccine were administered on Tuesday, Dec. 22. “This is a great way to end the year,” said Dr. Kristina Kezar, M.D., from Verde Valley Medical Center. “What a Christmas gift for me and the safety of my family and the community. I’m ecstatic. I’m honored.”
Moments earlier, Flagstaff Medical Center Critical Care Nurse Stacey Payne, R.N. received the vaccine in Flagstaff. “I am so excited,” she said. “I feel like our whole planet is coming together to give us hope to get out of this. I just really hope this will turn things around for us.”
The vaccination arrived in Central and Northern Arizona as hospital officials around the state continued to juggle capacity and staffing issues. At Yavapai Regional Medical Center, the number of patients in dedicated COVID-19 units continued to rise at both campuses.
YRMC spokesperson Kenneth Boush says hospital staff members are “exhausted” and have had to adapt daily to meet the ongoing demand of treatment. In late December, YRMC-Prescott was at 105% capacity; the Prescott Valley location was at 112%. There were 10 total COVID units between the two hospitals by Dec. 23.
“We are in historical territory here,” Boush said. “We’ve never seen this kind of patient flow come through our hospitals.”
Normally, both hospitals are set up to care for about 185 patients total. The hospital staff has repurposed units to add more beds. Many staff members have worked overtime for the past 10 months to help meet the demand for care.
However, the arrival of the Moderna vaccine created noticeable optimism among healthcare workers for the New Year. Northern Arizona
Healthcare Chief Quality Officer Dr. John Mougin said the Moderna vaccine is a messenger RNA vaccine. “It’s not actually virus. It is a vaccine that induces cells in your body to produce a protein called the spike protein. Your body then recognizes the spike protein as something that’s not supposed to be there and creates an immune reaction against that. Then, if you are exposed to the virus in the future, your body will recognize that quickly as being something it needs to get rid of, and that creates the immunity.”
Yavapai County Community Health Services spokesperson Terri Farneti said she expected to receive another delivery of the vaccine before the end of 2020, with pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS able to begin vaccinating the general public soon.
Health officials say the Moderna vaccine is easier to store and has a longer shelf life than the Pfizer vaccine. Both require two doses that need to be administered about a month apart to ensure full vaccination. The Arizona Department of Health will be informed each week of how many doses to expect. It will allot those, by county, based on the percentage of residents in a priority group. Distribution information will be reported back to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
At YRMC, all elective, or non-urgent, inpatient and outpatient procedures have been put on hold since Dec. 21, because of the rising COVID-19 hospitalizations. “This was a difficult decision, but one that is necessary due to high COVID-19 admission rates at our hospitals,” said YRMC Chief Operating Officer Keith Nichols. “By pausing outpatient and inpatient hospital procedures, we manage bed capacity and staffing levels to care for the high patient volumes we are experiencing.”
Despite the busy hospitals, Boush said he doesn’t want to discourage anyone with COVID-19 symptoms to seek medical treatment. “Dignity Health, Yavapai Regional Medical Center is well-prepared to care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “Anyone in need of care, especially emergency care, should not hesitate to seek the care they need.”
Meantime, health officials stress the continued importance of hand washing, masks and social distancing. QCBN
By Brent Ruffner and Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
Governor Ducey Shares Latest On COVID-19
Governor Doug Ducey today toured the vaccine distribution site at the Arizona State Fairgrounds and announced ten Arizona health care frontline workers who will be among the first Arizonans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
After the tour, the Governor also announced the state is distributing $15 million in additional funding to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) for health emergency needs. The funding will be used to help replenish the public health emergency fund.
“The vaccine is here, and we’re getting it to health care workers promptly,” said Governor Ducey. “This is a significant step in the fight against COVID-19 — but the fight isn’t over. We continue to urge Arizonans to follow mitigation measures and get the COVID-19 vaccine when possible. I’m grateful to the frontline workers, health care professionals and everyone working hard to get the vaccine distributed quickly and efficiently.”
Details on the Arizona health care workers, including ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ, who are among the first to receive the vaccine this evening:
Regina Villa, Registered Nurse
- Has worked at Valleywise for 17 years
- Nurse manager of one of the COVID units and frequently provides bedside care to COVID-19 patients
- Earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Grand Canyon University and is currently working on her Master’s Degree
- Graduated from Maryvale High School
Olubunmi Onadeko, Certified Nursing Assistant
- Works as a Caregiver for Sparrow Staffing Services
- Block-4 nursing student
- Member of the Black Nurses Association
Eddy de la Torre, Registered Nurse
- Completed a concurrent enrollment program receiving an Associate Degree in Nursing from Phoenix College and Baccalaureate in the Science of Nursing from Northern Arizona University
- Works at Banner University Medical Center
Allison McCabe, Registered Nurse at Skilled Nursing Facility
- Works on the COVID-19/COVID-19 quarantine unit at Wellsprings Therapy Center
- Earned Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Mohave Community College in 2019
- Pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Arizona State University
Will Smith, Arizona National Guard Medic
- Has served in the Arizona National Guard for five years and was deployed to Iraq from April 2019 to January 2020
- Part of the Guard’s TF MED and testing team and has served on testing missions across Arizona, including on Native American Reservations
- He is estimated to have conducted more than 1,000 COVID-19 tests
- Works as a Patient Care Technician at Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center
- Working on his Paramedics license
Captain Jeff Stieber, Mesa Fire Department
- 27-year veteran of the Mesa Fire Medical Department
- Spent 20 years as a National Registry Certified Emergency Paramedic
- Has been a Mesa Fire Immunization team member for the past 15 years
- Has been involved with vaccinating thousands of children at Mesa Public Schools as well as free monthly immunization clinics
- Involved with the City of Mesa COVID-19 testing program, where City of Mesa employees are tested for the virus
Captain Kenny Overton, Phoenix Fire
- 15-year veteran of the Phoenix Fire Department
- Earned Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from Arizona State University in 2003 prior to beginning his career with the Phoenix Fire Department
- Has been a paramedic since 2008 and is also one of the department’s trained vaccinators
Dr. Ross Goldberg, Valleywise Health Surgeon
- Board-Certified General Surgeon who covers both elective and emergent General Surgery issues at Valleywise
- President of Arizona Medical Association
- District Medical Group Vice-Chair of Surgery at Valleywise
Dr. Edmond Baker, Community Physician
- Medical Director for Equality Health
- U.S. Army Veteran
- Heavily involved in the African American community in Phoenix and has experience working with underserved populations
Dr. Cara Christ, Medical Doctor and ADHS Director
- Oversees and implements the state’s COVID-19 response including testing, vaccine distribution and administration, enforcement, and public health activities
- Conducts COVID-19 testing clinics for critical infrastructure state employees
- Provides onsite technical assistance for health care institutions, including COVID-19 needs
- Provides medical direction and direct patient care at state testing and vaccine sites
The Governor today was joined by ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ and Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs Director Major General Michael T. McGuire.
During the briefing, the Governor and Dr. Christ urged Arizonans to continue to follow health and safety precautions, especially during the holiday season, to slow the spread of COVID-19. ADHS has information on ways to stay safe and protect loved ones during the holidays at azhealth.gov/winterholidays
View Arizona’s updated vaccine distribution plan HERE.
ARRIVED: COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
Scientists Share Findings of COVID-19 Genomic Research
As Arizona scientists conduct the most extensive genomic sequencing of COVID-19 of any state, they credit early public health response for preventing an outbreak in late January. Also, they say the data show public health interventions do work, including testing, tracing and isolating, to control the virus.
In a news briefing on Sept. 15, the Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union (ACGU) scientists reported that initial findings suggest the state experienced no viral spread from Arizona’s first reported case. They say quick action by Arizona State University and Maricopa County public health officials likely kept Arizona from becoming an early epicenter for the disease when a student who had just returned from Hubei, the Chinese province where the disease originated, became ill.
“This person reported to the clinic very quickly. Their genome was sequenced by the CDC and we used it in our analysis,” said Brendan Larson, a University of Arizona (UArizona) researcher working with ACGU. “This patient isolated for 14 days and recovered fully. There was no evidence of any transmission events from this patient. And, by comparing their genome with all of the other genomes that we sequenced, we were able to determine that public health interventions do work, and in fact, we did not detect any viruses that descended from that first initial introduction.”
ACGU scientists add that these efforts bought Arizona valuable time to prepare for outbreaks. “This is a great example of how a rapid and thorough public health response can be successful in preventing the spread of this disease,” said ACGU Director Paul Keim, Regents’ Professor of Biological Sciences, Cowden Endowed Chair in Microbiology at Northern Arizona University and executive director of NAU’s Pathogen and Microbiome Institute (PMI).
“Similar steps could be taken when shaping future efforts to reopen businesses and schools, even though the virus continues to circulate and people remain susceptible,” added Keim.
Faculty at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, NAU, UArizona and Arizona State University (ASU) launched the ACGU to track the virus and see how it evolves and spreads within and out of Arizona.
“We put our heads together back in February and decided Arizona needed to have the best science tackling this pandemic, the best science that could be available in the entire world, and we needed to have those scientists focusing on the problems here in Arizona,” said Keim.
Jolene Bowers, an assistant professor at TGen North, says researchers began testing patient samples in early to mid-March, when community transmission within Arizona was being reported. “Our timing was great to get these early cases so ACGU could tell the story of contagion.”
Scientists identified small changes or mutations in the virus’s genome, which naturally occurs over time as the virus reproduces, to track its spread. By comparing mutations observed in Arizona to those present in strains circulating across the globe, they could determine when and from where the virus had been introduced to Arizona. They found that the majority of Arizona sequences are represented by two lineages — and several sub-lineages — most of which were likely introduced through domestic travel, but with some evidence for international importation.
“One advantage to working with RNA viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, is that they evolve at a relatively constant rate. This means that they accumulate mutations at a steady pace. This accumulation has often been compared to the ticking of a clock and so we call this the molecular clock method,” said Crystal Hepp, assistant professor at PMI. “SARS-CoV-2 in particular gained about one mutation every two weeks. Knowing this molecular clock rate allows us to effectively count up the number of mutations in a particular dataset over time, so that we can back-estimate when a particular lineage entered a location.”
PMI assistant professor Jason Ladner said various advances in genome sequencing technologies now allow for near real-time sequencing of viral genomes during outbreaks. “Because these viruses evolve pretty quickly through the accumulation of mutations, we can actually use these genomes to track the spread of viruses through space and time. And therefore, these viral genome sequencing efforts can really help to inform the public health responses that are associated with these outbreaks.”
ACGU scientists hope to sequence 1,000 COVID-19 genomes a week, aiming for 10,000 total genomes and giving Arizona the most complete genome map anywhere.
“We’ve got the whole state covered,” said Efrem Lim, an assistant professor at ASU’s Biodesign Institute and virologist who leads the ASU team. “No other state can make that claim.”
David Engelthaler, one of ACGU co-founders, says in the coming months it will be necessary to track COVID-19 outbreaks and build epidemiological walls around each case, especially for those most at risk – people older than 65, those in long-term care facilities and prisons, and those with pre-existing health problems.
“When you don’t have eyes on this, when you don’t have contact tracing, then it can really easily move from person to person,” Engelthaler said. “It’s really useful for public policymakers to be making locally-informed decisions.”
ACGU scientists also say the slight mutations should not impact vaccinations that are being tested. “Tracking the transmission of the virus and its mutations ensures that therapeutics and vaccines being developed are on the right course,” said Lim. “We now have a handle on what the SARS-CoV-2 virus in our communities looks like at the sequence level.”
These AGCU findings have been published in a study: An Early Pandemic Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Population Structure and Dynamics in Arizona. QCBN
By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN