Coronavirus | Penn Today

Single hospital bed in an abandoned hallway

Delayed emergencies in COVID times

A new study shows how often people put off non-COVID emergency care during the pandemic, who stayed home, and what kind of care they deferred.

A community health care worker wearing a face shield and mask leans toward a seated community member in a face mask asking question prior to receiving a vaccine.

How Penn Medicine is getting COVID-19 vaccines to communities that need it most

Direct outreach to elderly and vulnerable populations, and working with Philadelphia faith leaders has led to community-based clinics throughout West Philadelphia.

Young child’s face covered in a face mask covered in cartoon foxes.

The evolving science of face masks and COVID-19

Experts agree that masks should be used—and increasingly, they are emphasizing the use of better masks to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Age-based vaccine distribution is not only unethical. It’s also bad health policy

PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel and Emily Largent of the Perelman School of Medicine collaborated with Govind Persad of the University of Denver on an op-ed about equity in COVID-19 vaccine distribution models. “Age-only distribution is unethical, likely illegal and bad health policy,” they wrote.

Medical worker wearing a face mask and latex gloves holds a syringe tagged with a vaccine label.

How vaccines protect communities

While individuals who are vaccinated feel relief that they’re better protected, the rollout of vaccines to anyone in their community is still good news.

A partnership to help fight COVID and develop a STEM career pipeline

Working with the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, University City District’s workforce development program, Penn Medicine is creating pathways to science careers for local jobseekers.

two children wearing masks in front of a log cabin and lush ferns

Striking a balance in camp planning

Amidst the uncertainties of the pandemic and with time to plan, this year organizers of summer camp offerings at Penn have developed an array of in-person and virtual programs.

The website Findashot.org may be a better way to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment

David Newell, an MBA student in the Wharton School, built a website that finds available COVID-19 vaccine appointments. “The idea is to aggregate appointment availability, not just inventory availability, which a lot of the projects out there and even the CDC’s partner vaccinefinder.org are focused on,” he said.

Being vaccinated doesn’t mean it’s safe to take off the mask

PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel spoke about minimizing COVID-19 transmission risks after vaccination. “Do the visit outdoors if possible. And as spring is coming, it's going to be a lot easier to do that. Go walk in the park,” he said. “And if you're going to have a meal together, the meal should be outdoors and with good distancing because you're going to have the mask off while you're eating.”

A close-up of an old chipping door. Blurred in the background is a sign that reads "EVICTION NOTICE" in all capital letters.

Eviction linked to depression risk in young adults

Research from sociologist Courtney Boen and anthropologist Morgan Hoke shows that this issue, compounded by the toll of the pandemic, disproportionately affects low-income households and communities of color.

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