Coronavirus | Penn Today

A second Great Depression? Unemployment crisis hits big cities hard

Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the pandemic’s effects on the economies of major U.S. cities. “Los Angeles, sadly, is going through a new health crisis,” she said. “New York isn’t. And yet, the unemployment numbers are still so bad. That shows to me how scarring the effects of the coronavirus are.”

Offsetting carbon emissions, one ton at a time

Carbon offsets are a small but meaningful market in its mission to contribute to greenhouse gas reducing industries and practices in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere.

Crime has declined overall during the pandemic, but shootings and killings are up

David Abrams of the Law School and Wharton School spoke about how crime rates have shifted amid the pandemic. "People have reacted to the pandemic in all sorts of ways in decreasing economic activity," he said. "They stopped going to work, they stopped driving their car. They stopped walking around the city, and crime also stopped."

For those at risk for cancer, weighing the risk of COVID-19 with delays in screening and treatment

Lawrence Shulman of the Perelman School of Medicine says declining numbers of new cancer diagnoses over the past four months don’t mean fewer people actually have cancer. “There are a lot of patients out there who have cancer but are not undergoing diagnosis and entry into the cancer care system,” he said.

A med-school staffer dived into online groups to debunk coronavirus conspiracy theories. Would anyone listen?

Phil Cochetti of the Perelman School of Medicine has been participating in online debates about COVID-19 in an attempt to promote scientifically accurate information about the pandemic. His efforts are “a way to vent my own anxiety about what’s going on and hopefully to change some minds about the root of what we need to do next,” he said.

Posted sign partially obscured by window bars that reads: Our store will be closed from 3/27 to…care and stay healthy.

A return to ‘normal’: How long will the pandemic last?

Wharton’s Zeke Emanuel predicts the U.S. won’t see a full return to normal by pre-pandemic standards until November of next year, when a vaccine can likely be produced and distributed.

David Hoffman on broken contracts during pandemics

Law professsor David Hoffman argues that there isn’t a precedent, outside a major unexpected event, to keep a party from fulfilling a contract. The pandemic raises a questions about obligations, public policy, and public health.

Masked young woman staring out of window

Amid COVID-19, young adults aging out of foster care are especially vulnerable

With limited resources, youth who are aging out of foster care are bearing a heavy social and economic burden during the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing under or unemployment, education disruption, homelessness, and food insecurity.

HR’s ‘Return to Campus Guide’ details on-campus health and safety for faculty and staff

Every University faculty and staff member will receive a face covering and Penn’s Return to Campus Guide in the mail detailing on-campus health and safety for faculty and staff returning to campus.

cartoon of a person scratching their head confused wearing full-body ppe

Joseph Kable discusses decision making amidst the pandemic

Joseph Kable, Baird Term Professor of Psychology, seeks to understand how people make decisions by taking a multilevel approach: understanding the process at both the psychological and biological level.

Filters