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Arizona Health Expert Says Priority Should Be On Vaccinations

As the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread, one Arizona health expert wonders whether bringing back COVID-19 mitigation measures like mask wearing are necessary.  Just over 50%of Arizona’s population has been vaccinated with at least one dose. It is still lagging behind the national average. 

Will Humble is with the Arizona Public Health Association. 

“To me it’s like: ‘look, they’re deciding not to get vaccinated, it’s their choice now.’ They’re choosing not to get vaccinated. Why should we curtail our activities to protect them when they’re not taking the most basic step to get vaccinated themselves," Humble said.

But Humble does think there should be exceptions for those who cannot get vaccines. He also says the priority should be getting vaccines into developing countries, rather than working on a booster shot. 

"There's a lot of countries that desperately still need vaccine[s] and I think it's a disservice to persons in the developing world to start spending resources on a booster shot that may or may not be needed in the U.S.," Humble said.

For more on COVID-19 variants and Arizona's vaccination plans, Humble joined The Show.

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Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.