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.

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.

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. 

Individuals no longer need to schedule an appointment or make a reservation to browse the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center's stacks or to use self-serve study areas. 

Students will be returning to in-person classes this fall, with a remote learning option for those who wish to continue online. 

The move comes as COVID-19 cases across the country continue to rise, largely due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Penn will continue to monitor the situation and the decision may change in the future.

The researchers found that no particular demographic was more impacted by the effects of online learning and that certain learning techniques were more effective.

The team visited 9,161 pre-mapped homes and reached over 250 individuals who were initially hesitant to get vaccinated, as of July 13.

As Gutmann awaits U.S. Senate confirmation for her ambassadorship, here's a look at her greatest accomplishments during her 17-year presidency. 

Many rising sophomores expressed excitement and said that they hope to meet people through the programming and, for some, to take their first steps on campus.

Some Penn students that plan on attending the festival said that concert reopenings generally felt safe as more Philadelphia residents become vaccinated. 

The City of Philadelphia is shifting from mass vaccination sites to smaller close-to-home clinics in order to get more residents vaccinated by meeting them where they feel most comfortable.

Fully vaccinated students will not be required to submit to any form of regular COVID-19 testing, as they had been in the spring 2021 semester. 

Penn offered admission to about 165 of the more than 3,500 students who applied to Penn this year, according to Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions Sara Cohen.

Texas court federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the Houston Methodist Hospital System for requiring its employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The event covered the importance of young people getting vaccinated, vaccine equity, and the pandemic's impact on the mental health of Generation Z. 

Penn has partnered with the City of Philadelphia to sponsor a lottery of cash prizes of up to $50,000 awarded to residents for getting the COVID-19 vaccine.