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Coronavirus

Chewing to curb COVID
A gloved hand holds a petri dish filled with green colored tablets. Plants in containers are shown in the background

Chewing gum tablets containing plant material laced with the ACE2 protein are being evaluated in a clinical trial to see if they are safe and effective in trapping SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva. (Image: Kevin Monko/Penn Dental Medicine)

Chewing to curb COVID

Penn Medicine will conduct a new clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a chewing gum designed by School of Dental Medicine researchers to trap SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Should you get a new COVID booster? If so, when?
Associated Press

Should you get a new COVID booster? If so, when?

John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine advises people who recently received COVID boosters to wait for their antibodies to wane before receiving an updated one.

U.S. life expectancy plunged again in 2021, down nearly a year
Associated Press

U.S. life expectancy plunged again in 2021, down nearly a year

Samuel Preston of the School of Arts & Sciences says that COVID-19 has continued to worsen life expectancy but that good vaccination rates have contributed to a smaller decline in Hispanic Americans.

A simple rule for planning your fall booster shot
The Atlantic

A simple rule for planning your fall booster shot

Med student Rishi Goel of the Perelman School for Medicine says that the new bivalent vaccines will have some benefit for almost everyone who receives them.

Delaware teacher beats COVID-19 after year long fight, heads back to classroom
6ABC.com

Delaware teacher beats COVID-19 after year long fight, heads back to classroom

Joshua Diamond and Jaclyn Golato of Penn Medicine and colleagues are credited by Delaware teacher Bri Iacona for helping her survive a year-long battle with severe COVID-19, culminating in heart surgery and a double lung transplant.

Tweaked COVID boosters close but how much will they help?
Associated Press

Tweaked COVID boosters close but how much will they help?

E. John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine compares vaccine tweaks to periodic software updates and advises waiting four to six months between boosters.