Coronavirus | Penn Today

Is it safe to go to a nail salon now? What experts want you to know

Carolyn Cannuscio of the Perelman School of Medicine said pursuing nail services might still be too high risk for many. "A manicure is a luxury personal care service, and it requires close, sustained physical contact. Most importantly, it is optional, and it can and should be avoided while there is ample community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19," she said.

a person wearing protective gear works in a laboratory

Research returns to campus

Dawn Bonnell, Penn’s vice provost for research, discusses the phased approach towards slowly, and safely, resuming on-campus research activities.

Film still of an intubation training video of a medical dummy and medical students in a hospital room

Videos, webinars and lots of feedback: Medical training’s shift amid COVID-19

Because hands-on learning and in-person simulations have been so altered during the coronavirus pandemic, there is now high demand for updated training videos and shifting best practices.

Close-up images of three people. On the left is journalist Larry King, wearing a black shirt, a red tie and red suspenders. In the center is James Pawelski, a Penn researcher, wearing a blue blazer and blue shirt. On the right is actor Kevin Bacon, weather a blue and black button down shirt.

Talking positive psychology and COVID-19 with Larry King

In a free video series co-hosted by James Pawelski, King interviews researchers about coping during the pandemic. In a June 11 event, they’ll speak with actor Kevin Bacon about philanthropy, arts and culture’s role in well-being, and the importance of open dialogue.

Could Trump turn a vaccine into a campaign stunt?

PIK Professor Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Paul Offit of the Perelman School of Medicine wrote an op-ed about the dangers of rushing the development of a coronavirus vaccine. “Giving people a false sense of being protected will most likely lead to serious outbreaks of the disease as people reduce their compliance with physical distancing and other public health measures,” they wrote.

Sign mounted at a playground that reads “In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this facility is closed (cerrado) to the public until further notice.”

The politics of pandemics: Why some countries respond better than others

The capacity of a state and the degree of economic inequality among its residents will determine how it copes in a pandemic. Whether it is a democracy or a dictatorship matters relatively less.

Sealed official mail-in ballot in an open mailbox

Creating a civics curriculum with Philly students that can be taught online or in person

A research course on community engagement had been collaborating with Philadelphia teachers to create a curriculum about the importance of voting. Then the classroom experience moved online.

Even in this time of protest and unrest, wearing masks is essential

Jules Lipoff of the Perelman School of Medicine co-authored an article about the importance of wearing protective face masks at protests.

Researchers retract study that found big risks in using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19

Steven Joffe of the Perelman School of Medicine commented on the retraction of a study that found major risks in the off-label use of hydroxychloroquine. “I’m concerned that the usual standards, both at the level of the journals and at the level of authors and faculty rushing to get high-impact work published, has meant that our usual standards have fallen,” he said.

Kindness spreads with volunteer links at corona connects

May graduates Hadassah Raskas, Steven Hamel, and Megan Kyne created Corona Connects, a platform to organize volunteers across the country.

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