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Coronavirus
Community concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine tracked by Twitter
Community concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine tracked by Twitter
A study of vaccine-related Twitter posts reveals significant differences in concerns people have when broken down by age, race, population density, and religious beliefs.
A COVID vaccine for kids
A COVID vaccine for kids
Jeff Gerber, who is heading the clinical trial of the Moderna vaccine in kids under 12 at CHOP, speaks with Penn Today about the trial and why getting children vaccinated is so essential.
The long view on COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy
The long view on COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy
Penn researchers weigh in on the regulatory and scientific efforts to track COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccine conversations go door-to-door
Vaccine conversations go door-to-door
Canvasser with the West Philadelphia Vaccine Street Team Pilot Program go door to door to dispel misinformation and show their neighbors that vaccination is safe, by example.
Pandemic preparedness, three years early
Pandemic preparedness, three years early
In a Q&A, team members behind the outbreak simulation PennDemic discuss how the exercise, now in its fourth iteration, equipped an interdisciplinary group of grad students for COVID-19 and beyond.
Vaccine lotteries and beyond: What motivates healthy behaviors
Vaccine lotteries and beyond: What motivates healthy behaviors
As COVID-19 vaccines have become available to the general public and vaccination rates began to slow, there has been a boom in incentives for receiving the vaccine across the United States. CHIBE’s Kevin Volpp investigates the trend.
What to expect as Penn transitions to a fully in-person fall semester
What to expect as Penn transitions to a fully in-person fall semester
Penn Today looks at guidelines for those on campus this summer, what members of the community can expect as they return to campus, and the role that vaccines have in safely resuming in-person activities.
The pandemic, health inequities, and an ‘opportunity for change’
The pandemic, health inequities, and an ‘opportunity for change’
Experts across the University weigh in on which lessons the pandemic drove home and what immediate measures are needed to prevent future loss.
Five tips for talking to young children about COVID-19 today
Five tips for talking to young children about COVID-19 today
Many vaccinated adults have started going maskless, but most children still cannot. Some states are now fully open. Psychologist Caroline Watts offers parents language they can use to talk openly as a family about this newest phase of the pandemic.
Penn mRNA pioneers receive the Princess of Asturias Award
Penn mRNA pioneers receive the Princess of Asturias Award
Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó earned the prestigious honor for their foundational research that led to development of two lifesaving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
In the News
The Washington Post
Rare 'breakthrough' COVID cases are causing alarm, confusion
Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine said breakthrough COVID-19 infections tend to be mild because the vaccines give the immune system a head start. “The virus is stopped in its tracks within a few days,” he said.
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NBC News
COVID plus overdose deaths drove down life expectancy in 2020
Irma Elo of the School of Arts & Sciences said the decline in life expectancy among Black and Latinx Americans reflects unequal access to health care and class privilege. "The people who have disproportionately suffered from this pandemic were the same people who were put in positions where they were more likely to be exposed because of their employment," she said.
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Daily Beast
Don’t try to MacGyver a COVID-19 booster shot
Genevieve Kanter of the Perelman School of Medicine said the current COVID-19 vaccines seem to be holding up against the delta variant. “We may need boosters later on, perhaps in eight to 12 months but not yet,” she said.
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Axios
Conservative media diets tied to distrust in health officials
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center spoke about the politicization of public health information on COVID-19 in the U.S. "When you begin to reduce trust in experts and agencies telling you that vaccines are safe, you're creating all kinds of susceptibilities that can be exploited for partisan gain," she said.
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MIT Technology Review
Pfizer wants to give you a booster shot—but experts say it’s too soon
John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine said the existing COVID-19 vaccines appear to be holding up, even without booster shots. “Severe infections, hospitalizations and deaths are being observed almost entirely in unvaccinated populations, even for the delta variant,” he said.
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Science
Will COVID-19 change science? Past pandemics offer clues
David Barnes of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about COVID-19 and how pandemics can shape policy. While the 1918 flu was somewhat forgotten, HIV/AIDs has had a lasting impact. The difference, Barnes said, “was activists who were organized and persistent, really beyond anything our society had ever seen.”
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