11/15
Coronavirus
One step closer to an at-home, rapid COVID-19 test
The lab of César de la Fuente is working on a paper-based biosensor that could provide results in minutes. Clinical trials began Jan. 5.
A how-to guide for COVID-19 testing at Penn
With the launch of Penn Cares, Penn Today provides additional details on the new testing program, how eligible members of the Penn community can enroll, and how the testing procedure works.
Commonly used blood pressure medications are safe for COVID-19 patients
A Penn Medicine-led trial found medications to be neither beneficial or harmful in the treatment of hospitalized patients.
Penn Dining spring 2021: Four takeaways
As students return to campus, dining services has adopted measures to support new safety and public health protocols at both residential and retail cafés on campus.
How can the world allocate COVID-19 vaccines fairly?
It’s an ethical question many Penn experts are contemplating. One fact is certain, they say: Distribution must not exacerbate disparities and inequities in health care.
Move-In spring 2021 primer
With undergraduate Move-in starting Jan. 10, Penn Today offers a practical guide to the process.
A Wharton expert examines $900 billion coronavirus pandemic relief bill
Penn Wharton Budget Model expert Richard Prisinzano breaks down what’s in the newly passed stimulus bill, what it means, and explains why many experts don't think that'll be enough to stave off an economic slide in the long run.
Quarantine or isolation? An updated glossary for the next phase of the pandemic
Penn Today revisits the lexicon of new definitions and phrases to help make sense of news headlines, public health measures, and everyday discussions about COVID-19.
Exacerbating the health care divide
With rates of diagnoses and death disproportionately affecting racial minorities and low-income workers, experts from the School of Arts & Sciences address how COVID-19 has further exposed already dire health outcome inequalities.
From PPE to lab safety, supporting the campus community is a full-time job
The Environmental Health and Radiation Safety office plays an important role in keeping Penn safe and healthy. Now, during the COVID-19 crisis, the office has stepped up to support the resumption of on-campus activities.
In the News
Column: How a blunder by a respected medical journal is fueling an anti-vaccine lie
Jeffrey S. Morris of the Perelman School of Medicine says that even with a 100% effective vaccine, there would have been high levels of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 in 2021.
FULL STORY →
After four years with COVID-19, the U.S. is settling into a new approach to respiratory virus season
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that the sense of urgency around vaccination has faded as attention on respiratory viruses wanes.
FULL STORY →
The mRNA miracle workers
Nobel laureates Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine appear on “Sunday Morning” to discuss their careers, their mRNA research, and the COVID-19 vaccines.
FULL STORY →
Paul Offit looks back on COVID-19, misinformation, and how public health lost the public’s trust in new book
“Tell Me When It’s Over,” a new book by Paul Offit of the Perelman School of Medicine, chronicles the initial years of the COVID-19 pandemic and the mishaps of public health agencies. Recent surveys by the Annenberg Public Policy Center find that mistrust of vaccines has continued to grow through last fall.
FULL STORY →
Review of COVID death stats finds likely undercount in official numbers
A paper co-authored by Penn researchers found that COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. were likely undercounted in official statistics during the first 30 months of the pandemic.
FULL STORY →
You should still get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Nobel Prize winner who helped discover it explains why
Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine, who won the Nobel Prize along with Katalin Karikó, discusses the backlash against vaccinations and whether to receive the latest COVID vaccine.
FULL STORY →