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Four facts about the COVID-19 boosters
Stock image of two vials of COVID-19 vaccines. One is upright, the other laying on its side. They both say "COVID-19 vaccine, LOT: D66A443, EXP: 03.22, INJECTION ONLY"

Four facts about the COVID-19 boosters

The FDA and CDC endorsed boosters of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines just a month after the agencies did the same for a Pfizer/BioNTech booster. Here’s what’s known today about these shots.

Michele W. Berger

Twitter accounts tied to China lied that COVID came from Maine lobsters

Twitter accounts tied to China lied that COVID came from Maine lobsters

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center said public health disinformation from China-based social media accounts is nothing new. "Early in the pandemic, Chinese sources spread the theory that SARS CoV-2 originated at Fort Detrick and was spread to China by U.S. military," she said. "The platforms can remove it, or if they decide against doing so, can downgrade it or flag it and attach fact-checking content."

Mandates likely work to increase vaccine uptake
Five rows of COVID-19 vaccine vials. The vials are angled diagonally, from bottom left to top right.

Mandates likely work to increase vaccine uptake

Rather than causing a backlash, vaccination requirements will succeed at getting more people inoculated, according to research from PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín and colleagues at Penn.

Michele W. Berger , Michele W. Berger

Five things to know about the upcoming flu season
health care worker injects vaccine into patient's arm

Flu shots are a simple way to lower the risk of getting hit with the respiratory virus this fall and winter. Students are required to get vaccinated, and faculty, staff, and postdocs are strongly encouraged to do so.

Five things to know about the upcoming flu season

Thanks to COVID prevention measures, last year’s flu season was among the mildest in years. Penn experts explain why this year may be different and how to prepare.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Africa’s Iron Lady 
Former president of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf sits on a stage with NPR reporter Deborah Amos, with rows of onlookers in chairs and a sign behind them reading Perry World House

Former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (left) speaks with National Public Radio international correspondent Deborah Amos at Perry World House on Sept. 28. 2021. (Image: Courtesy Amy Guo of Penn Lens)

Africa’s Iron Lady 

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, came to Perry World House as part of the Global Order Colloquium.

Kristen de Groot

A how-to guide for PennOpen Pass
people in a large open tent taking saliva covid tests

Ongoing asymptomatic screening testing is taking place this fall at the High Rise tent on Rodin field. Currently, a Green Pass is required for entry into all health care spaces on campus, which includes Penn Medicine facilities, Penn Cares testing sites, and Student Health and Counseling offices. 

A how-to guide for PennOpen Pass

Penn Today provides details on how to use the daily and exposure symptom tracker, what members of the Penn community should do if they receive a Red Pass, and new platforms available for visitors accessing campus spaces.

Erica K. Brockmeier

In hard-hit neighborhoods, Philly CEAL outreach aims to address COVID disparities
A person in a mask holding a clipboard at the bottom of steps outside a home. On the porch are an unmasked adult and two unmasked children.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine Service in Action

In hard-hit neighborhoods, Philly CEAL outreach aims to address COVID disparities

Through community engagement and improved information dissemination, researchers at Penn Nursing, Penn Medicine, and Annenberg, in conjunction with the City of Philadelphia, are working to increase vaccination and testing rates and decrease new COVID-19 infections.

Michele W. Berger