Covid
More than 9,000 students have broken Penn’s COVID-19 testing policy in last two weeks
The University requires that all vaccinated students receive at least one COVID-19 test every two weeks, and if they fail to do so, they will receive a red PennOpen Pass until they test negative.
First years report catching 'freshman plague' while testing negative for COVID-19
Many first-year students have been sick with coughs, sore throats, congestion, and fatigue — but campus positivity rates for COVID-19 remain low.
Penn hits 99% undergraduate COVID-19 vaccination rate
The University also reported that 97% of faculty and staff and 96% of all students, both graduate and undergraduate, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Philadelphia COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadline extended after fears of worker shortages
The mandate now requires hospital and long term care facility workers and higher education faculty, students and staff to receive only their first vaccine dose by Oct. 15.
Harvard Business School moves first-year instruction online due to spike in COVID-19 cases
To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the business school is requiring all first-year MBA classes and some second-year MBA classes to take place online through Oct. 3.
Penn admin. says campus community can ‘coexist’ with COVID-19 as case count remains low
Between Sept. 19 and Sept. 25, 55 Penn community members tested positive for COVID-19 out of a total of 15,471 community members who received tests.
First-year Penn Medicine students reflect on in-person White Coat Ceremony during pandemic
Senior Vice Dean of Medical Education Suzanne Rose led the ceremony, distributing the white coats and delivering remarks to the incoming students and their guests at the annual White Coat Ceremony.
Penn lab develops at-home, rapid COVID-19 test
The COVID-19 test can detect small amounts of SARS-CoV-2 with sensitivity nearly as high as a PCR tests, which are considered "the gold standard" in the diagnostic community.
Students in isolation report unclear COVID-19 academic policies, strain on mental health
Students reported varying degrees of accommodation and a lack of clarity from professors about what accommodations or extensions they are entitled to.
Penn begins testing wastewater for earlier detection of COVID-19 cases in campus housing
Wastewater monitoring can detect the virus two-to-three days prior to symptoms and can identify both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases.
Penn professors receive prize for mRNA research that led to creation of COVID-19 vaccines
The prize awarded $3 million dollars to Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research Drew Weissman and Adjunct Professor of Neurosurgery Katalin Karikó for their research on mRNA-based vaccines.
Some professors remain on Zoom despite resumption of in-person learning this semester
After having adapted their instruction methods for the last year and a half, many of these professors said those changes are here to stay — at least for now.
La Salle University moves classes online due to "concentrated increase" in COVID-19 cases
La Salle reported 43 positive cases on Sept. 6, up from four cases during the first week of classes.
Duke introduces stricter COVID-19 guidelines after over 300 students test positive
Almost all of the people who tested positive are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the vast majority are asymptomatic.
Here's what you need to know about Philly's COVID-19 restrictions
Masks are required at all indoor businesses and institutions, regardless of vaccination status, unless the business chooses to require that all people inside prove they are fully vaccinated.
Your questions about Penn move-in, answered
Students will need to be masked and vaccinated in order to enter their dorms.
Some students support reinstating Penn’s indoor mask mandate, others feel it’s unnecessary
Some students welcomed the reinstatement of the mask mandate, saying that it is important to protect students, faculty, and staff and the surrounding Philadelphia area from the rapidly-spreading Delta variant.
Penn Medicine establishes professorship, fellowship for vaccine research and development
Professor of Medicine Drew Weissman — whose research allowed for the development of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine — was named the inaugural Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research.
Penn community members are once again required to wear masks indoors
A total of 80% of students enrolled in on-campus programs and 84% of faculty and staff have reported being fully vaccinated. The University expects the community vaccination rate to reach 90% by September.