Coronavirus | Penn Today

What principals have learned from COVID-19’s ‘stress test’

The Consortium for Policy Research in Education, housed in the Graduate School of Education, has published five briefs about how U.S. school districts and principals have dealt with the pandemic. “The principals are doing all these amazing things, which are serving urgent needs of kids and families. That’s not taken into account in what we think of as a good school. There is an imbalance between our metrics for assessing quality and the actual role of schools in society,” said Jonathan Supovitz.

Three medical personnel in full PPE working at a drive-up COVID testing site.

To catch and contain COVID, step two is to process samples

The second in a series on the steps the health care community takes to quelling the spread of the virus, a look at the 24-hour cycle of testing.

‘Don’t let COVID fatigue trick you’: How to survive winter as the pandemic rages on

Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing spoke about COVID-19 fatigue, in which acclimation to pandemic-related restrictions has led some to feel less threatened by the virus. “Even if we acknowledge that generally everyone should cancel travel plans and not host large gatherings, we cut ourselves slack and license our own behavior because we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s less risky or we have a special exception,” she said.

In the midst of COVID-19, Penn sustains a global mission

For International Education Week, Penn Today dives into some of the ways the University is remaining engaged throughout the world, while keeping physically apart.

Coronavirus briefing: What happened today

David Rubin of the Perelman School of Medicine said it’s crucial for college students to isolate themselves before traveling home for the holidays. “Their arrival on Wednesday with plans to see Grandma on Thursday could pose a huge risk,” he said.

California slams ‘emergency brake’ as states race to halt COVID’s spread

Michael Levy of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about renewed public health restrictions amid the current spike in COVID-19 infections. “By changing our behavior, we can get this curve not just to flatten but to tumble down precipitously,” he said. “This isn’t forever. The measures we are taking now are so we can get back to everything we miss.”

Health care worker prepares to give patient a vaccine injection

Five things to know about the promising COVID-19 vaccine news

Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine, whose work is a key factor helping to enable two vaccines in late stages of testing, sheds light on the biology behind them and on his predictions about next steps in vaccine development and approval.

Philly vows to slow rising traffic fatality rate with more speed enforcement—and bikes

Erick Guerra of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design attributed a spike in car crash deaths in Philadelphia to increased alcohol consumption and emptier streets, both due to the pandemic. “People are drinking more during COVID so probably a high share are drunk. And people know there’s a higher consequence, so they run,” he said. “The other reason is just speed. When there are less people on the road, you can go faster. And that really impacts the fatality rate.”

A person in full PPE is administering a COVID nasal swab test.

To catch and contain COVID-19, testing is step one

Penn Medicine is partnering with sites around the city to offer COVID testing, contributing to 9% of all testing in the state.

Distressed person wearing a mask sitting on a couch looking at a phone, hand on forehead.

In the pandemic’s early days, a third of U.S. adults felt depressed, anxious

According to new research from Penn, those feelings worsened as the month of March progressed, and economic worries rather than social distancing or fear of the virus itself played the largest role.

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