The Pima County Board of Supervisors plans spend $180,000 from a multi-million dollar settlement with drug manufacturers to purchase and distribute Narcan, "blanketing" the area with the medication that can reverse otherwise fatal opioid overdoses. Read more»

$48.5 million from an opioid settlement to be paid out through the next 18 years will help Pima County efforts to prevent overdoses from fentanyl and other drugs, and raise awareness about free Narcan available to the public. Read more»

Pima County will advocate for safe and legal abortion and access to reproductive health care after the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to declare such services a “basic right” for women and families in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Read more»

Visitors and workers in Pima County buildings will no longer be required to wear face masks, although a "recommendation" will remain. The countywide mask mandate ended last month, and the Board of Supervisors will meet in-person next Tuesday. Read more»

Despite recommendations from county staff, a December measure that requires the use of masks in indoor public places will expire on Feb. 28 after the Pima County Board of Supervisors refused to extend the mandate for another month.12,539 cases in Arizona Read more» 2

Pima officials are asking the Board of Supervisors to extend the county's mask mandate through the end of March, as the numbers of new COVID-19 cases and deaths remain above the levels when the requirement was put in place in December. Read more»

Supervisor Matt Heinz is starting to take the gloves off and put up a fight against efforts to downplay the severity of COVID-19. Even if it's just to force a political cost for aiding the virus, it's time for a fair fight and not more ignored science lessons. Read more» 3

Pima County faces a "stark" rise in new COVID-19 cases, even as the more-infectious Omicron variant has not become the driver of most new cases. Across Arizona, unvaccinated people are 31 times more likely to die from the disease than those who've gotten their shots. Read more»

Up to 200 Pima County employees could be terminated because they have refused to get their vaccinations against COVID-19, flouting a policy for those who work with vulnerable people. But 87% have complied, and more could turn in evidence they've gotten their shots. Read more»

People across Pima County must wear face masks while indoors in all public places to limit the spread of COVID-19, after the Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to institute the public health mandate Tuesday. Read more» 1

Seven cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been identified on the University of Arizona campus through saline gargle tests, researchers said Tuesday. Read more»

The first case of Omicron in Pima County was confirmed Thursday. The "variant of concern" comes at a time when COViD-19 cases have been mounting in Arizona, with hospitals warning they're nearing "crisis standards of care." Read more»

An expected winter surge in COVID-19 cases, including the Omicron variant, has Pima County officials planning to bolster testing and vaccination efforts to stem the spread of the virus. Read more»

Pima County is about to enter a fifth surge of COVID-19 infections, as vaccinations remain stagnant and holiday gatherings increase the risk of exposure. Everyone vaccinated more than six months ago should get booster shots, officials said in a public health warning. Read more»

A "significant increase" in COVID-19 cases is worrying Pima County health officials, who said students ages 5-11 are increasingly becoming infected as the rate of local community transmission remains high. One elementary school was ordered to close due to an outbreak of the disease. Read more»