Coronavirus

Susan Ellenberg of the Perelman School of Medicine said the general public may misinterpret data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. “A causal connection between the vaccine and an adverse event cannot be made based on any single report (with the exception of things like an anaphylactic reaction within seconds of receiving the vaccine),” she said.

Robert Hughes of the Wharton School spoke about the hazards of prematurely ending restrictions on evictions. “About 40% of households can’t pay a $400 emergency without going into debt,” he said. “And if we end up with a lot of people homeless, that’s a crisis.”

Florencia Greer Polite of the Perelman School of Medicine addressed concerns over Philadelphia’s plan to lift COVID-related restrictions this summer. “It makes me a little uncomfortable, too, because at 15 months in, we have to remember that while we’re over COVID, COVID is not over us,” she said.

Aaron Richterman of the Perelman School of Medicine said the likelihood of spreading COVID-19 while outdoors is low. “I’m sure it’s possible for transmission to occur outdoors in the right circumstances,” he said, “but if we had to put a number on it, I would say much less than 1 percent.”

P.J. Brennan, chief medical officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, said COVID-19 vaccination is safe and effective for children. "Kids don't get sick very often, but they can shed virus and they can spread it to adults. So, if we're going to get it under control we have to address the younger population as well," he said.

Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine explained the science behind and advantages of mRNA-based vaccines. “With RNA, you only need the sequence of the protein of interest. Once you’ve got the sequence, you can make an RNA within days to weeks,” he said. “So, it’s very fast at responding to new pandemics, new emerging infections, and other potential diseases.”