Covid
Racial disparities in vaccinations increase among young people in Philadelphia
Only 15% of Philadelphia’s Black residents and 23% of Philadelphia’s Hispanic residents between the ages of 20 and 44 have received at least one vaccine dose.
Penn to require all students to receive COVID-19 vaccine ahead of in-person fall semester
The University expects that masks will still be required in many locations on campus and COVID-19 testing may still be mandatory.
Penn Med experts say vigilance, vaccinations are key to stopping COVID-19 variant spread
A recently released Penn Medicine study by Chair of the Department of Microbiology Frederic Bushman and his team found that 35% of the sample COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia resemble variants of the virus.
Students praise Penn’s on-campus COVID-19 vaccination site, calling it ‘seamless’
Many students — particularly those living in on-campus housing — said they were especially happy that Penn was able to provide the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday.
West & Down’s reopening sparks student concerns of COVID-19 violations
Students who have been in West & Down and witnessed long lines outside the club expressed doubts about its enforcement of mask-wearing and other COVID-19 safety protocols.
Penn’s undergraduate COVID-19 case count remains low for second straight week
Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé said the low positivity rate is a testament to continued adherence to public health guidelines, and he urged students to continue to wear masks, socially distance, and wash their hands.
Penn Vet study finds dogs can detect positive COVID-19 samples by scent
The School of Veterinary Medicine found that specially trained dogs can sniff out COVID-19 with 96% accuracy.
Penn receives 500 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to administer Wednesday
Penn community members who are vaccinated on Wednesday will receive the second dose of the vaccine on May 12, a victory for students in on-campus housing who are required to move out by May 13.
Penn professor Toorjo Ghose awarded Fulbright scholar award to research and teach in India
Ghose’s work will focus on strategies used by sex workers in India to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these strategies were shaped by the HIV epidemic.
Penn study finds that people who recovered from COVID-19 may only need one dose of the vaccine
The Penn Institute of Immunology found that people who had a prior COVID-19 infection had a significant antibody response after the first mRNA vaccine dose, but minimal increase in immunity after the second dose.
Philadelphia expands vaccination eligibility to include all adults
The Philadelphia Department of Health announced on Friday that everyone over the age of 16 would be immediately eligible for the vaccine, moving the city to phase 2 of vaccine distribution.
Penn community members call day one of on-campus vaccinations a ‘well-oiled machine’
The entirety of the Penn community, including all students, are eligible to receive the vaccine on-campus on April 19, when the city of Philadelphia begins vaccinating all adults.
Penn study finds United States had more excess mortality in 2017 than 2020 despite pandemic
Researchers told Penn Today that these findings do not diminish the losses due to COVID-19, but underscore the daily health hazards that Americans face.
Penn to begin vaccinating faculty, staff, postdocs on April 14, all students on April 19
Vaccination appointment times for the week of April 19, when all adults in Philadelphia become eligible under Phase 2 of the city's rollout plan, will be released on the scheduling platform by Friday afternoon.
Undergraduate COVID-19 case count decreases for third straight week, nearing semester low
Penn administrators said the continued decrease in cases was encouraging, but emphasized that members of the Penn community must continue to be vigilant, even after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
GSE research finds schools failed to meet needs of first-generation students during pandemic
Wright analyzed the landing pages of twenty-four highly selective universities to see how they adjusted their websites during COVID-19. He found that only one mentioned first-generation students.
Penn instructs students to ignore ‘online’ course designations during advance registration
The University is planning to hold all courses in person, regardless of their current location listing on Penn InTouch — some of which are currently listed as "online," and others as "in-person."
Professors say some pandemic-induced changes to teaching styles are here to stay
From small group discussions to pre-recorded lectures, many professors plan to incorporate new teaching strategies into in-person curriculum.
As variants and vaccinations increase, undergraduate COVID-19 case count decreases slightly
A total of 28 undergraduate students tested positive for COVID-19 between March 28 and April 3, down from the 32 undergraduate student cases between March 21 and March 27.