Penn Medicine's frontline health workers and researchers have begun receiving COVID-19 vaccinations — including the Penn scientists whose findings on mRNA technology laid the groundwork for the vaccines to be developed.

Although Philadelphia's 2021 Mummers Parade was canceled, some Mummers and residents still marched down 2nd Street on New Year's Day to protest Mayor Jim Kenney and celebrate the beginning of 2021.

An "Overheard at Penn" page administrator attributed the decrease in posting to a lack of shared experiences among students while they haven't been on campus.

Although the University decided last minute no longer to bring undergraduate students back to campus in the fall, Penn Law opened its doors to approximately 550 students of its estimated 751-person class for in-person learning through Nov. 25, when classes ended for the semester.

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke to more than a dozen nurses, doctors, and clinical students who work across Penn Medicine’s hospital system. While Penn undergraduates enjoyed virtually unlimited access to COVID-19 testing this semester, some health care workers continue to be denied COVID-19 tests.

The world has experienced some of the most extraordinary events in modern history this year, and the Penn community has been impacted by it all. The Daily Pennsylvanian's photographers have been on the ground documenting 2020 as it has unfolded.

Wolf said he is currently experiencing no symptoms but is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department of Health guidelines. 

One CIS professor described the loss of TAs as a “major headache” for the CIS department, predicting more crowded office hours.

For just the third time this semester, the positivity rate climbed above 2% for the week ending on Dec. 5. Penn recorded its highest weekly case count at 107.

The panel, called “Coronavirus Vaccine: Addressing the Challenges in Distribution and Uptake,” took place virtually on Friday and was hosted by Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. 

As the fall 2020 semester comes to a close, students who decided taken a leave of absence reflect on a time of improving mental health and exploring other interests — with some even realizing that finishing college might no longer be in the cards for them. 

The Penn community will now be screened for COVID-19 using saliva tests instead of nasal swabs that had been in use for the majority of the fall semester. The saliva testing method will enable the University to increase its testing capacity, especially as more students are expected to return to campus in the spring. 

Despite his newfound responsibilities to the Biden presidential transition effort, Emanuel said he will be fully engaged in his Penn teaching duties. His course PHIL 118: Ben Franklin & His World will examine controversial aspects of Franklin’s life such as his participation in the slave trade.

From Nov. 15 to Nov. 21, the University conducted 6,499 tests — over 1,000 more than any week prior — with the total positivity rate reported at 1.54%, slightly above the 1.29% average for the semester.

Penn's test results website states that results could take up to 72 hours or longer. For some students, this unexpected change in timeline, coupled with other COVID-19-related concerns, has altered their Thanksgiving break plans.

In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Bok, the current vice chair of the board, spoke about the University’s plans to reopen in the spring and refused to budge on students' calls to divest from fossil fuels and make Payment in Lieu of Taxes. 

Philosophy professor Kok-Chor Tan highlighted three principles: benefiting people and preventing harm, prioritizing disadvantaged nations, and equal moral concern.