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April 21, 2021 - Brief Issue 185

The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University.

A new report from New America’s Alexandra Stark, Candace Rondeaux, and Heather Hurlburt examines how the pandemic fits into changing understandings of national security and how coverage of the pandemic has changed over time (New America).

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Top Headlines

World Marks Highest-Ever Weekly Case Count Since Pandemic Began (Health & Science)

Half of U.S. Adults Are At Least Partially Vaccinated, But Hurdles to Herd Immunity Remain (Health & Science)

U.S. Government to Issue New Travel Advisories in Light of Spiking Case Counts (Health & Science)

European Medicines Agency Will Not Restrict Use of J&J Shot (Health & Science)

FDA Closes Emergent Facility As It Investigates Manufacturing Mishaps (Health & Science)

Carbon Emissions Surge (Around the World)

Japan Ready to Reimpose State of Emergency Ahead of Olympics (Around the World)

Cambodia Could See ‘National Tragedy’ (Around the World)

Canadians Frustrated Watching U.S. Neighbors Get Vaccinated More Quickly; Border Remains Closed (Around the World)

Biden Agenda Relies Heavily on Already Strained IRS (U.S. Government & Politics)

DC Recipients of Unemployment Benefits Who Have Not Received Support Should be Paid This Week (U.S. Government & Politics)

Hawaii Adopts Vaccine Passports for Easier Travel Between Islands (U.S. Government & Politics)

Weekly Jobless Claims at Pandemic Low (U.S. Economy)

Polling and Focus Groups Suggest Continued Vaccine Hesitancy Among Republicans (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 31,793,509 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 568,475 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has conducted 419,737,011 tests and distributed 133,266,995 vaccine doses, with 40.1% of Americans having received their first vaccine dose and 26% fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 143,022,878 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 3,046,432 deaths. At least 81,993,136 people have recovered from the virus.

World Marks Highest-Ever Weekly Case Count Since Pandemic Began

On Monday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the 5.2 million new Covid-19 cases recorded last week marked the highest weekly count since the start of the pandemic (CNN). Cases have been increasing for the past eight consecutive weeks and death counts for the past five, with the pace of the virus’ toll accelerating. Tedros also warned that the virus has been spreading rampantly among young adults, noting that infections and hospitalizations of people in their twenties are “increasing at an alarming rate.”

Half of U.S. Adults Are At Least Partially Vaccinated, But Hurdles to Herd Immunity Remain

According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 130 million adults have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, representing over half of the U.S. adult population (NPR, NYT). About a third are fully vaccinated. On Monday, every adult in every state became eligible for the shot, and President Biden urged Americans to go get vaccinated to curb the pandemic (WaPo). 

Despite these developments, the country still faces several roadblocks to herd immunity and equitable vaccine rollout. Older adults are the most vaccinated demographic in the country, but for several reasons – supply and access issues, difficulty signing up for a shot, and hesitancy – a fifth of adults over 65 still aren’t vaccinated. Cindy Prins, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida, said as vaccine sites open up to more people, older adults might find themselves even more stressed about seeking out a shot. “There may be people who are not necessarily homebound, but maybe they don’t drive,” Dr. Prins said. “Maybe it’s not easy and convenient for them to get somewhere to get vaccinated.” 

The country is also grappling with vaccine hesitancy, especially among Republicans, 40% of whom say they won’t get the shot, according to a Monmouth University survey. This skepticism among Republicans is worsening (NYT). Plus, an Axios-Ipsos poll published Monday showed that 2 of 3 not-yet-vaccinated adults are “not likely at all” or “not very likely” to get the shot. Experts say the percentage of vaccinated Americans might stall at 70%, posing a challenge to herd immunity, the definition of which has become murky as new, more contagious coronavirus variants emerge. 

U.S. Government to Issue New Travel Advisories in Light of Spiking Case Counts

The U.S. State Department said Monday that it plans on releasing new travel guidance later this week, citing the ongoing and “unprecedented” risks of the Covid-19 pandemic (NPR). The government will likely issue travel advisories that limit travel to about 80% of countries worldwide. Authorities also encouraged Americans to forgo travel as cases spike domestically and abroad. 

European Medicines Agency Will Not Restrict Use of J&J Shot

After evaluating the same data that pushed U.S. officials to suspend use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine over concerns about rare blood clots, the European Medicines Agency said they would not place restrictions on the shot, explaining that its benefits outweigh the risks (WaPo, NYT, WSJ). The EMA clarified that the shot may be linked to blood clotting and should be accompanied by a warning label. “The reported combination of blood clots and low blood platelets is very rare, and the overall benefits of Covid-19 Vaccine Janssen in preventing Covid-19 outweigh the risks of side effects,” the EMA said in a statement. These recommendations echo those made for the AstraZeneca shot, which, the agency said, caused “very similar” rare side effects. Europe’s vaccine rollout has been lagging due to suspensions in the AstraZeneca and J&J shots, supply issues, and widespread vaccine hesitancy. In the U.S., regulators will meet Friday to decide whether and how to resume use of the J&J shot. 

FDA Closes Emergent Facility As It Investigates Manufacturing Mishaps 

In the latest hurdle to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration instructed Emergent BioSolutions to temporarily stop making the active ingredient for the J&J shot, as officials investigate a plant in Maryland responsible for a mixup that ruined 15 million doses (Politico). While the FDA has not yet authorized the plant and none of its shots have actually been administered to the public, the Emergent facility was intended to significantly support the country’s J&J manufacturing efforts before being connected to a spate of production issues. The investigation began April 12 and its end date is unclear. "We acknowledge that there are improvements we must make to meet the high standards we have set for ourselves and to restore confidence in our quality systems and manufacturing processes,” Emergent said in a statement. 

Merck Stops Development of One Covid-19 Drug, Moves On With Another 

Pharmaceutical giant Merck announced Tuesday that it would be stopping development of a drug meant to combat Covid-19, after the FDA requested more data beyond the company’s phase 3 trial results to justify emergency use authorization (CNBC, STAT). Merck explained that the drug, MK-7110, which is meant for severely ill patients, would not become available until early 2022 with this extra research required by the FDA. The company will instead focus on production of the J&J shot. Merck is also continuing clinical testing of an antiviral pill for Covid-19 called molnupiravir; this drug shows “encouraging” results, the company said Thursday, when used early in the disease rather than in hospitalized patients. 

Bonus Reads: “Eco-Activist Greta Thunberg Has A New Issue: The Moral Threat of Vaccine Inequality,” (NPR); “Vaccines That Can Protect Against Many Coronaviruses Could Prevent Another Pandemic,” (Science).

Around the World

Carbon Emissions Surge

Global carbon emissions are expected to surge this year as the world rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. They are currently on track to reach the second largest annual rise on record, according to a projection by the International Energy Agency (WaPo). The demand for energy is on track to surpass 2019 levels even as the growth of alternative energies continues. “This is a dire warning that the economic recovery from the covid crisis is currently anything but sustainable for our climate,” Fatih Birol, IEA’s executive director, told the BBC. In 2020, carbon emissions declined by 5.8%, which was the largest drop on record, while global energy demand contracted by 4%, the largest decline since World War II. 

Asia

Japan Ready to Reimpose State of Emergency Ahead of Olympics

With just three months to go before the Summer Olympics begin in Tokyo, Japan is preparing to reintroduce a state of emergency in Tokyo and Osaka. Coronavirus infections are rising again and the governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, said on Tuesday that she was going to ask the central government to reinstate a state of emergency. The governor of Osaka formally made the same request on Tuesday. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to grant the requests; he said a renewed state of emergency would not affect the Olympics (WSJ). The details of the latest state of emergency have not been decided yet, though previous state of emergencies in Japan have been less strict than lockdowns in many European countries. 

Cambodia Could See ‘National Tragedy’ 

Cambodia went over a year without seeing many coronavirus cases, but that changed in late February when four Chinese nationals who were in mandatory quarantine in Phnom Penh bribed a security guard to let them leave early. Two of the four later tested positive for coronavirus, sparking the largest outbreak Cambodia has seen since the start of the pandemic. The cluster has been tied to the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant. On Monday, the Cambodian health authorities reported a record 624 new confirmed infections, with almost 6,500 people infected since the outbreak began on Feb. 20 (NYT). The death toll stood at 45, all recorded this year. The World Health Organization said the outbreak could spiral into a “national tragedy” due to Cambodia’s poor healthcare system. Phnom Penh began a two-week lockdown on Thursday that prohibits people from leaving their homes except for work, grocery shopping, and medical treatment in an effort to contain the outbreak.

Americas

Canadians Frustrated Watching U.S. Neighbors Get Vaccinated More Quickly; Border Remains Closed

Canadians living along the border with the U.S. are comparing the slow vaccination rollout in their country to that of the United States, where vaccines seem to be flowing more freely. Even though Canada’s vaccination campaign has picked up speed in recent weeks, it’s still slower than the rollout in the U.S., which has recently opened up vaccinations to every adult over the age of 16. In Canada, inoculations have mostly been limited to those 55 years and older, Indigenous adults, and other priority groups. As the Washington Post reports, in “Ontario’s Niagara region, about 26 percent of residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine and 2 percent are fully vaccinated, according to government data. In neighboring Erie and Niagara counties on the U.S. side, roughly 44 percent of people have been given at least one dose; 30 percent have been fully vaccinated.” Wayne Redekop, Fort Erie’s mayor, said, “Residents are looking to see who’s getting vaccinated and where. … It seems like if you’re in the United States and you want a vaccination, you can get it.” The United States has administered more than twice as many doses per capita than Canada has. 

On Tuesday, Canada and the United States extended the land border closure for non-essential travelers. Air passengers arriving in Canada will continue to be tested for Covid-19 and complete a hotel quarantine period. The land border restrictions were first imposed in March 2020 and have now been extended for May 21. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it was "engaged in discussions with Canada and Mexico about easing restrictions as health conditions improve" (Reuters).

Panama to Buy 2 Million More Doses of Pfizer’s Vaccine

Panama will purchase another 2 million doses of Pfizer-BioNtech’s Covid-19 vaccine, its government said on Tuesday (Reuters). The Central American country has purchased a total of about 7 million doses, including the most recent 2 million. It has received about 600,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine already. The government said its vaccine supply will cover more than 90% of its population.

U.S. Government & Politics

Biden Agenda Relies Heavily on Already Strained IRS

Much of President Biden’s proposed agenda, including the recently passed $1.9 trillion Covid relief and stimulus bill relies upon the Internal Revenues Service (IRS) for implementation, yet the IRS is facing strains (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal reports, “The U.S. tax agency, shrunken after a decade of budget cuts, is sending $1,400 payments to most Americans, the third such logistical challenge in a year. Last month’s $1.9 trillion relief law requires the IRS to create a system outside of annual tax filings for issuing child tax credit payments. And, further complicating an already messy filing season in which the April 15 deadline was pushed back to May 17, the agency must implement a retroactive change to taxation of unemployment benefits received in 2020. More challenges await. The Biden administration and congressional Democrats are considering tax increases on companies and top earners that would require significant implementation and enforcement. They also hope to collect hundreds of billions of dollars by expanding the IRS and beefing up audits.” According to the Journal at least $381 billion goes uncollected annually as a result of the strains. The Journal writes, “IRS officials have prepared a six-year turnaround plan to modernize aging technology and improve customer service. Mr. Rettig, a veteran California tax lawyer who was appointed by then President Donald Trump and whose term lasts until November 2022, has been seeking billions to implement it. Democratic control of the White House and Congress assures political support for funding that plan, the new law’s provisions and tougher enforcement—for now.: The recent relief bill included about $2 billion to help the IRS modernize.

DC Recipients of Unemployment Benefits Who Have Not Received Support Should be Paid This Week

The Washington Post reports that recipients of unemployment benefits in Washington DC who have not yet received their benefits should start receiving them this week beginning yesterday (WaPo). The Post writes, “Up to 2,500 D.C. unemployment recipients whose benefits were interrupted in recent weeks should receive the funds they are owed beginning Tuesday, the director of the city’s Department of Employment Services (DOES) said. The latest disruption of the District’s beleaguered unemployment system resulted from an update required to implement the federal American Rescue Plan, which extends several unemployment benefit programs until September.”

Hawaii Adopts Vaccine Passports for Easier Travel Between Islands

On Tuesday, Hawaii announced that it would allow travel between its component islands without quarantining or pre-travel testing for those who are fully vaccinated (AP). The AP reports “Hawaii becomes the second state in the nation after New York to implement a vaccination verification program, state officials said at a news conference Tuesday. The plan does not change anyone’s ability to travel and avoid quarantine by testing, as is currently required for trans-Pacific and inter-island travel, but adds another option for Hawaii residents who are 14 days past their final vaccination shot.” The program begins on May 11 with hand-verification of vaccine status but will then launch a website, where travelers can upload their information. So far about 35% of the state’s population has received at least one vaccine dose.

U.S. Economy

Weekly Jobless Claims at Pandemic Low

According to data released by the Department of Labor, jobless claims in the week ending April 10 were at their lowest weekly level since the beginning of the pandemic (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal writes, “Unemployment claims declined to the lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic struck last spring, adding to signs the U.S. economic revival is picking up speed. Jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 576,000 last week from 769,000 a week earlier. That is the lowest weekly figure since March 2020. Claims remain higher than the pre-pandemic levels of around 220,000, but economists expect they will continue to drop as the recovery accelerates.”

Hispanic Home Buyers Helping Drive Housing Surge

As we have covered in prior briefs, over 2020, the housing market surged. The Wall Street Journal reports that part of the surge is driven by a record increase in home buying among Hispanic Americans (WSJ). The Journal writes, “Hispanic homeownership grew at a record pace last year, fueled by younger buyers who have helped make this demographic a growing force in the red-hot U.S. housing market. The number of Hispanic-homeowner households rose by more than 700,000 to nearly 9 million in 2020, according to Census Bureau data compiled by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, an industry group. Those gains marked the biggest one-year increase in data on Hispanic homeownership going back two decades, NAHREP said.”

U.S. Society

Polling and Focus Groups Suggest Continued Vaccine Hesitancy Among Republicans

The Washington Post reports that a variety of polling and focus groups point to continued vaccine hesitancy among Republicans (WaPo). The Post writes, “Although more than half of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, more than 40 percent of Republicans have consistently told pollsters they’re not planning to be vaccinated — a group that could threaten efforts to tamp down the virus’s spread, public health officials fear.” Frank Luntz, who has long run focus groups and polling for a variety of Republicans, told the Post, “The further we go into the vaccination process, the more passionate the hesitancy is.” Luntz cited the results of two focus groups he recently ran that showed a minimal if any impact on reducing hesitancy when participants were exposed to remarks from doctors.

Bonus Read: “This New York Hotel Quarantined the Sick. Now the Owners Regret It.,” (WSJ).

Analysis & Arguments

Megan Garber writes on the dark side of the houseplant boom during the pandemic (Atlantic).

Alisa Solomon writes on how the pandemic has reshaped American theater (Nation).

Alice Lu-Culligan and Randi Hutter Epstein argue there’s a lack of research on the impact of vaccination and other medical practices on menstruation (NYT).

 Readers can send in tips, critiques, questions, and suggestions to coronavirusbrief@newamerica.org.

The Brief is edited by David Sterman and Emily Schneider with Senior Editor Peter Bergen.

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