What You Need to Know-Week of September 6th
The most important weekly updates for you to keep your community healthy
In this Update:
1. Urgent Updates: COVID-19 Metrics
2. All Things Vaccines: Pfizer receives full FDA approval!
3. Information You Need: Vaccine Effectiveness against the Delta Variant
4. Information You Need: What to do if you misplace your CDC vaccination card?
1. Urgent Updates: COVID-19 Metrics
Updated as of: 09-06-2021
Weekly case, death, and hospitalization counts
| In the past week, there has been an average of: | |
| Cases per day | 3,101 |
| Deaths per day | 36 |
| Compared to two weeks ago: | |
| Cases per day | Increased by 4% ↑ |
| Deaths per day | Increased by 83% ↑ |
| Hospitalizations per day | Increased by 4% ↑ |
View all data related to covid19 in arizona state
Hospital Capacity Metrics:
| Percent of Arizona hospital beds currently in use | 91% |
|---|---|
| Percent of Arizona hospital beds currently in use by COVID-19 patients | 32% |
Vaccine Information:
| Number of Arizonans | Percentage of Arizonans | Percentage in United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizonans who are fully vaccinated | 3,327,133 | 45% | 49% |
| Arizonans who have received at least one dose (of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine) |
3,717,090 |
53% |
57% |
See updated vaccine information
7,415,809 total COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Arizona
See breakdown of vaccination by Arizona counties
See updated vaccine information and data in Arizona
It is still important to take safety precautions even after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
2. All Things Vaccines: Pfizer receives full FDA approval!
Great news! The Pfizer vaccine has recently received full FDA approval for administration to individuals age 16 and over. The vaccine had previously demonstrated especially high safety and efficacy standards to receive emergency authorization through the FDA. Additional rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness have been conducted and the vaccine is now fully approved. The Pfizer vaccine is now the first COVID-19 vaccine to reach full FDA approval. In addition, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent expert panel of the Centers for Disease Control, weighed the risks and benefits of the Pfizer COVID-19 shot and the 14 member panel unanimously recommended the shots for all Americans age 16 and over. Other vaccines are likely to follow suit soon.
3. Information You Need: Vaccine Effectiveness against the Delta Variant
The Delta variant is now the dominant strain in the United States. The strain is two to three times more contagious than previous variants of SARS-CoV-2 and evidence suggests that it causes more severe COVID-19 disease in unvaccinated individuals. For more background information on the Delta variant, please see our July 5th update.
The Delta variant is significantly more transmissible from person to person (especially among unvaccinated individuals). The spike proteins, often depicted in red in photos, are shaped a little differently and can grab onto our cells and infect them more easily and can also evade our antibodies more easily. This means the virus reproduces in the body more easily, making many more viral particles compared to the amount of virus made by the Alpha variant. The more viral particles made in the body, the more easily it can be spread to others through an infected person breathing, coughing, talking, etc.
So the question is now, do the vaccines work as well against the delta variant compared to previous, less contagious variants? Many studies are collecting and analyzing data to help answer this difficult question. Results from such studies are finding that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are moderately less effective against preventing infection from the Delta variant as compared to previous variants, but provide excellent protection against hospitalization and death. A recent study examining this question among frontline healthcare workers found that overall the vaccine effectiveness (including Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson) was estimated to be 66% against the Delta variant, roughly a 25% decrease against previous variants. Some of the decline may be attributed to time since vaccination but the evidence of “waning” immunity is still not solid.
Additional studies estimate vaccine effectiveness against infection to be between 40-80% against Delta. The quality of these studies vary but all of them point to one thing. These odds are much better than ~0% for unvaccinated individuals! Effectiveness is likely reduced further for those who are immunosuppressed (more information on this topic coming soon).
Most importantly, the vaccines are still especially effective (~80-90%) against preventing severe disease and hospitalization.
It is very apparent that the vaccine is still the best way to prevent the spread of this coronavirus and keep you and your loved ones healthier. In addition to getting vaccinated and encouraging others to do the same, you can also reduce your risk of infection by wearing face masks and avoiding crowded indoor spaces.
watch Zoom recording for more information
4. Information You Need: What to do if you misplace your CDC vaccination card?
If you misplaced or did not receive a vaccination card for your first shot of Pfizer or Moderna:
- You will likely be able to receive a card when you go in to get your second shot. If not, contact the location or provider where you received your vaccination(s) to find out how to get another CDC vaccination card.
If you received your vaccination(s) at an Arizona state vaccine point of distribution site:
- Call 602-542-1000, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm, or email “azvaccinesupport@azdhs.gov” and let them know that you misplaced (or did not receive) a vaccination card. They should be able to verify your vaccination doses and dates in their secure system and give you instructions on what to do to get another CDC vaccination card.
If you received your vaccination(s) at a clinic, healthcare provider, or pharmacy:
- Contact the location where you received your vaccinations and inform them that you misplaced (or did not receive) a CDC vaccination card.
If you got vaccinated in Arizona, you can get a record of your vaccination in the state vaccine database.
- For your full vaccination record, you can register for you and your whole family and obtain your official records here: ADHS – AZ MyIR (azdhs.gov). This will give you a record of all vaccinations you have received, not just COVID-19.
Pro tip: Share a copy of your CDC vaccination card with your primary care doctor or health practitioner. That way you always have backup proof of your vaccination!