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Coronavirus Research

A chewing gum that could reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission
Side by side panels that compare before treatment with after treatment with ACE2 gum show a marked decline in bubbles, indicating the virus.

A chewing gum that could reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission

In experiments using saliva samples from COVID-19 patients, the gum, which contains the ACE2 protein, neutralized the virus, according to research led by School of Dental Medicine scientists.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Amid challenges to Biden's vaccine mandate, study shows they work

Amid challenges to Biden's vaccine mandate, study shows they work

PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín, Jess Fishman, and Andy Tan, all of the Leonard Davis Institute, wrote an op-ed about the efficacy of vaccine mandates. “Regulations can promote behaviors that benefit society and, in so doing, also may instill social norms to do the right thing,” they wrote.

Penn finds that using automated texts to monitor COVID-19 patients at home saved lives

Penn finds that using automated texts to monitor COVID-19 patients at home saved lives

An analysis of Penn Medicine’s COVID Watch, an automated texting program that helps monitor the condition of COVID-19 patients recovering at home, found that the risk of death for participants was 64% lower than for those receiving the usual care. Furthermore, participants with worsening symptoms went to the emergency department earlier and started treatment sooner than typical patients. “We think that is the mechanism by which we prevented deaths,” said Krisda Chaiyachati.

Sharon Wolf’s work in Ghana expands to address pandemic-related inequalities
Sharon Wolf gesturing with her hands speaking to someone in an office.

Penn GSE assistant professor Sharon Wolf. (Image: Penn GSE)

Sharon Wolf’s work in Ghana expands to address pandemic-related inequalities

The assistant professor at Penn GSE applies research of children, their primary caregiver, and teachers throughout the pandemic about their experiences with remote schooling to a new approach in controlling learning opportunities before gaps in learning form.

From Penn GSE

With more kids eligible for vaccines, is the pandemic in a new phase?
Child wearing mask in school writes at a desk

With more kids eligible for vaccines, is the pandemic in a new phase?

With the FDA authorization last week, 28 million more children are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Experts from the School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine share their thoughts about what to expect in the weeks and months to come.

Katherine Unger Baillie

A hub for zoonotic disease research
Cryptosporidium A Penn Vet-led team was the first to sequence, study, and manipulate a naturally occurring mouse Cryptosporidium, a parasite responsible for life-threatening illness in people, as well as livestock, pets, and wildlife worldwide. (Image: Muthugapatti Kandasamy, Adam Sateriale, and Boris Striepen)

A hub for zoonotic disease research

The new Institute for Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases, launched by the School of Veterinary Medicine, leans on Penn’s strengths in immunology and infectious disease to prepare for emerging threats to animal and human health.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Four facts about the COVID-19 boosters
Stock image of two vials of COVID-19 vaccines. One is upright, the other laying on its side. They both say "COVID-19 vaccine, LOT: D66A443, EXP: 03.22, INJECTION ONLY"

Four facts about the COVID-19 boosters

The FDA and CDC endorsed boosters of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines just a month after the agencies did the same for a Pfizer/BioNTech booster. Here’s what’s known today about these shots.

Michele W. Berger

Mandates likely work to increase vaccine uptake
Five rows of COVID-19 vaccine vials. The vials are angled diagonally, from bottom left to top right.

Mandates likely work to increase vaccine uptake

Rather than causing a backlash, vaccination requirements will succeed at getting more people inoculated, according to research from PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín and colleagues at Penn.

Michele W. Berger , Michele W. Berger