Click here to subscribe to the daily brief.

March 10, 2021 - Brief Issue 165

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

Join New America for a discussion of public libraries and the pandemic on 3/22. RSVP here and read the report here.

Please consider making a donation to support our ongoing analysis of the most important news and headlines surrounding Covid-19.​

Top Headlines

Columbia University Study Predicts Vaccine Resistance in Coronavirus Variants (Health & Science)

As Vaccines Open to People with Underlying Health Issues, Advocates Lobby for Higher Rankings on Vaccine Priority List (Health & Science)

District of Columbia Reboots Online Vaccine Registration System (Health & Science)

Fauci Warns Covid-19 Cases Could Stagnate At a High Level (Health & Science)

J&J Might Not Make Quarterly Deadline for EU's Vaccine Delivery (Around the World)

Russia to Make Sputnik V Vaccine in Italy, Demands Apology After EU Official Likens Vaccine to ‘Russian Roulette’ (Around the World)

China Introduces Digital Vaccine Passport (Around the World)

Nursing Home Residents in Canada Still Isolated Even After Vaccinations (Around the World)

Democrats Ready Final Stimulus Vote for Today (U.S. Government & Politics)

HHS Watchdog Probes CDC Over Handling of Race, Ethnicity Data (U.S. Government & Politics)

High Home Prices Stoke Alarm (U.S. Economy)

How the Pandemic is Reshaping Sports (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 29,096,053 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 527,699 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has conducted 364,849,318 tests and distributed 123,232,775 vaccine doses, with 93,692,598 doses administered (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 117,587,601 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 2,610,863 deaths. At least 66,644,834 people have recovered from the virus.

Columbia University Study Predicts Vaccine Resistance in Coronavirus Variants

A recent study, led by David Ho of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center and published in Nature, suggests that some coronavirus variants may be less responsive to existing vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies. Researchers analyzed the response of the U.K variant (B.1.1.7) and the South Africa variant (B.1.351) to various treatments, including serum from patients vaccinated with the Moderna and Pfizer shots, serum from patients who had recovered from Covid, and eighteen different monoclonal antibody treatments, two of which are authorized for emergency use in the U.S (Columbia University, FDA). 

Many existing interventions, like the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, are targeted toward earlier coronavirus strains and have shown ~95% efficacy (NYT). Using antibodies from the blood of vaccinated patients, however, the study revealed vaccine resistance in newer coronavirus variants. Neutralization of the virus dropped 2-fold against the U.K variant and 6.5- to 8.5-fold against the South Africa variant. Ho said the 2-fold drop in vaccine efficacy against the U.K variant is “unlikely to have an adverse impact,” but the results with the South African variant are more worrying. According to Ho, the wiliness of the B.1.351 is already playing out with the Novavax vaccine, which had a 49.4% efficacy rate in its South Africa trial (Novavax).

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment is an experimental Covid intervention that uses proteins designed to mimic an immune response. The Columbia study found that most mAbs retain their effectiveness against the U.K variant, but there were drastic decreases in efficacy against the South Africa variant. Bamlanivimab, used in the U.S, had no effect on the South African variant; casirivimab, part of an antibody cocktail also approved for emergency use in the U.S, was 58-fold less effective. Moreover, the study showed that the U.K. and South Africa variants pose an increased risk of re-infection to patients already recovered from Covid-19. 

Ho said the results of the study demonstrate how the virus evolves around vaccines and other treatments. Emphasizing the importance of fighting the virus using other measures like masking and social distancing, Ho said, “Stopping the spread of the virus will stop the development of further mutations.” 

Bonus Read: “Brazil’s Growing Coronavirus Outbreak Poses a Threat Far Beyond its Borders,” (WaPo).

As Vaccines Open to People with Underlying Health Issues, Advocates Lobby for Higher Rankings on Vaccine Priority List

In accordance with CDC guidelines, many states are now opening up vaccination appointments to people aged 16-64 years with pre-existing medical conditions placing them at higher risk of serious illness (CDC). But which health issues are included, and how they are prioritized, varies between and even within states. Because of the ever-shifting nature of eligibility requirements, people across the country are advocating for their underlying health conditions to be included on the list (NYT, LA Times).

The CDC provides a list of conditions that, based on research, place people at greater danger of falling seriously ill from Covid-19 (CDC). However, some professionals point out that this list leaves room for interpretation; it does not offer a ranking of conditions, nor does it capture the complexities of how different risk factors interact with one another and with the coronavirus. 

Eligibility lists will likely expand as vaccine supply becomes less limited. In the meantime, state governments are under pressure to balance logistical constraints with the needs of concerned residents and advocacy groups. Massachusetts resident Jessica Von Goeler, a Type I diabetic who started a petition for her state to include this as a qualifying condition, said she feels the fight over vaccine priority speaks to larger issues: “It feels like many of the prejudices I’ve fought my whole life I’m fighting all in one bucket to get access to this vaccine” (NYT).

District of Columbia Reboots Online Vaccine Registration System

The District of Columbia is launching a new online system for coronavirus vaccination registration (NYT). The previous system, through which eligible D.C. residents would sign up for a vaccine on a first-come, first-serve basis, was plagued with technical difficulties. Every Thursday and Friday, when appointments became available, thousands of people would open up D.C.’s vaccination website, hoping to snatch an appointment. This led to massive online traffic and website crashes. On Thursday, February 25, when vaccine eligibility expanded to those 18 years or older with qualifying medical conditions, the website broke down (Patch). D.C.’s struggles with its online registration platform echo those reported in other states, such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia. 

D.C.’s new system is designed to prevent users from flooding to the website all at once, explained Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the D.C. health department, on Monday. Those eligible for the vaccine will enter their information online, and the city will reach out to them when an appointment becomes available. 

Some Coronavirus Restrictions Lifted in Maryland

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) announced that beginning Friday, capacity limits on restaurants, retail businesses, gyms, and religious establishments will be lifted (WaPo, State of Maryland). Hogan’s executive order also allows concert halls and theaters to operate at 50% capacity. Masking and physical distancing requirements remain. Some public health experts are concerned by Hogan’s decision. Erik Toner of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said opening up indoor dining at full-capacity is a “mistake in judgement,” as vaccination in Maryland continues to lag. Local governments, however, are not required to comply with the executive order, and some counties may keep more stringent coronavirus restrictions. 

New Yorkers Over 60 Now Eligible for Vaccine

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that beginning Wednesday, March 10, New Yorkers aged 60 and up can begin signing up for vaccine appointments. This lowers the minimum age requirement from 65 (WSJ). “That means people, like as old as I am, will now be eligible for the vaccine,” Cuomo said Tuesday (NYT). In most states, residents must be at least 65 to receive the vaccine (NYT).

Fauci Warns Covid-19 Cases Could Stagnate At a High Level

White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci told the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Tuesday that despite vaccination efforts, Covid-19 cases in the U.S could “plateau again at an unacceptably high level” (CNBC). He noted that cases have been declining more slowly since the initial drop in January, indicating a possible leveling off. 

Fauci stressed the importance of keeping preventative measures in place and not removing Covid restrictions too early. He also said the U.S should closely monitor domestic coronavirus strains, such as the fast-spreading B.1.526 variant, which emerged in New York and may contain mutations that make it more resistant to vaccines (NYT). 

Bonus Read: “A Viral Tsunami: How the Underestimated Coronavirus Took Over the World,” (WaPo).

Around the World

J&J Might Not Make Quarterly Deadline for EU's Vaccine Delivery

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) told the European Union that it might not be able to deliver 55 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to the bloc in the second quarter of the year due to supply issues, according to an exclusive report by Reuters. J&J has committed to delivering 200 million doses of its vaccine, which requires only one shot for protection, to the EU this year. The vaccine is expected to be approved on March 11 by the EU regulatory body and officials have said deliveries could start in April. But an EU official who is directly involved in talks with J&J told Reuters that the supply of vaccine ingredients and equipment put the company “under stress” to meet the goal for the end of June. J&J declined to comment on possible delays, but if they do fail to deliver the target number of doses it would be another blow to the EU’s vaccination campaign, which has already been hampered by supply issues and logistical failures.

Russia to Make Sputnik V Vaccine in Italy, Demands Apology After EU Official Likens Vaccine to ‘Russian Roulette’ 

Russia has signed a deal to produce its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Italy, the Italian Russian Chamber of Commerce announced on Tuesday (AP). The contract was signed with Adienne Srl an Italian subsidiary of a Swiss-based pharmaceutical company and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.  “The innovative production process will help create new jobs and allow Italy to control the entire production of the compound,” the chamber said in a statement. Italy’s health minister, Roberto Speranza, has indicated he is open to introducing the Russia-developed vaccine in Italy, as long as it has regulatory approval. Italy’s new premier, Mario Draghi, has pledged to accelerate the vaccination campaign in hopes of stopping the spread of new variants that have again put Italy’s health system under pressure. So far, just 2.85% of Italy’s population has been fully vaccinated. 

The EU has not approved the Sputnik V vaccine for use yet but it started the rolling review process last week, though some countries, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, have moved ahead with the Russian vaccine without EU approval. On Sunday, Christa Wirthumer-Hoche, who heads the European Medicines Agency, which approves pharmaceuticals for use in the 27-member European Union, said that they should hold off until her agency finishes reviewing the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. Moving ahead before that, she said, was “somewhat comparable to Russian roulette.” The vaccine’s Russian backers said in posts on Twitter that her comment raised “serious questions about possible political interference” in the approval process. “We demand a public apology,” they wrote (NYT). 

China Introduces Digital Vaccine Passport

On Monday China introduced a digital vaccine passport that tracks citizens’ medical history and is intended to enable international travel (NYT). The health certificate runs on Tencent’s WeChat messaging app and will include a user’s Covid-19 test results and vaccination history, a report by the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua. The pass offers an encrypted, scannable code that could allow other countries to process the data of travelers, according to the Xinhua report. Currently, it only works for Chinese citizens. Other countries, like the United States and some in the EU, have been considering similar solutions but a plethora of privacy concerns have prevented any from moving forward yet.

 Nursing Home Residents in Canada Still Isolated Even After Vaccinations

Canada’s vaccine rollout has focused in part on inoculating nursing home residents since they saw the worst of the pandemic in the country: around 66% of the country’s terminal Covid-19 victims were residents of nursing homes (NYT). Now, the majority of nursing home residents have been vaccinated but the strict policies that were put in place to protect residents early on in the pandemic have yet to be loosened. In several cities, including Toronto and Montreal, residents are not allowed to leave the nursing home property. Some places have policies that allow for visits from one or two designated caregivers, but the policies are not enforced evenly. Officials say concerns about variants of the virus, a lack of research on the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing transmission, and continued high rates of infection in some parts of the country have prevented them from loosening restrictions. “We need to better understand the effectiveness of the vaccines in preventing transmission, including variant transmission, before we can safely alter visitor policies,” said Tom McMillan, an Alberta health official. But in place of the coronavirus, another pandemic could very well be sweeping across care homes, namely one of mental health. “One large survey of nursing-home residents and their families in Canada found that a majority reported a marked decline in cognitive function and emotional well-being, and almost half reported that their physical functioning had worsened,” reports the Times.

U.S. Government & Politics

Democrats Ready Final Stimulus Vote for Today

Democrats in the House of Representatives are ready to hold the final vote on the Biden Administration’s proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus p package today (Politico). Politico writes, “In the House, which will send the bill to Biden's desk, the Rules Committee planned to meet Tuesday at noon to prepare the bill for a floor vote Wednesday after Senate officials took longer than expected to send over the necessary paperwork. But Democrats vowed a one-day delay would not have an impact on boosted jobless benefits set to expire this weekend.” Democratic Leadership member Representative Pete Aguilar (D-CA) stated, “We’ll pass it, it’ll get signed into law by the 14th and we’ll get people relief.” Bonus Read: “What’s New in the Third Covid-19 Stimulus Package?” (WSJ).

HHS Watchdog Probes CDC Over Handling of Race, Ethnicity Data

The Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general is probing the CDC over its handling of data on race, ethnicity, and the Covid pandemic, according to a report in Politico on Tuesday (Politico). The effort is focused on how the CDC can improve its data collection and comes as the CDC struggled to collect data in part due to differences in local and state procedures. Politico writes, “The HHS inspector general has interviewed several officials who deal with Covid-19 data over the past week and plans to continue meeting with the agency over the coming days, those sources said. Those initial conversations suggest the inspector general is focused on finding ways to get a more complete picture, particularly around vaccinations, and how the agency can more closely coordinate with states on the collection of the data, officials said.”

Pentagon, Pushed by Pandemic Adopts Encryption Protocol

In December, the Pentagon, pushed by the pandemic and fears over the security of research on Covid, adopted an encryption protocol for its emails, fixing a long known security hole (Politico). Politico writes, “Attempts to permanently fix the flaw didn’t gain momentum until last year, when DoD officials realized that the weakness was exposing electronic conversations with a host of civilian agencies and companies developing Covid-19 vaccines.” Lance Cleghorn, the leader engineer on the effort to fix the hole, told Politico, “This became really important because of Operation Warp Speed, when DoD became a lot more chatty about very nationally sensitive things with people out in federal government [and] people in pharmaceuticals, hospitals, health care.” An aide to senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who as a member of the Senate intelligence committee has pushed for responses to such issues, told Politico that the fix was welcome but overdue, saying, “Anything that we can do to make life more difficult for our adversaries is a good thing.”

U.S. Economy

Bonus Read: “Office App Makers Cashing In on Pandemic Safety Needs,” (WSJ).

High Home Prices Stoke Alarm

The housing market boomed over 2020, helping drive the economy, yet some policymakers worry that the rising price of housing may be a sign of trouble to come, Politico reports (Politico). Politico writes, “Home prices in January — typically a slow month for the market — were up 14 percent over the same month the previous year, while sales jumped 24 percent, despite an unemployment rate that was almost twice as high. Demand for existing homes is so strong that the average residence is on the market for just three weeks, and inventory is at a record low after seeing its steepest drop last year since the data was first tracked in 1999.” Senate Banking Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) warns, “The dream of homeownership is out of reach for so many working people,” adding, “Rising home prices and flat wages means that many families, especially families of color, may never be able to afford their first home.” Politico notes that “the last time the U.S. saw such skyrocketing home prices, the ensuing crash brought down the global economy,” though it adds that “most industry analysts” do not view the current price surge as a bubble about to burst on the same scale. Even so many view the current increases as unsustainable. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, told Politico, “I am worried that the price run-up is going to choke off first-time buyers,” adding, “this simply cannot continue.”

Bonus Read: “A Year Later Who is Back to Work and Who Is Not,” (NYT).

U.S. Society

How the Pandemic is Reshaping Sports

In a report on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal examined how the pandemic is reshaping sports for the long term (WSJ). The Journal writes that “the games themselves changed” pointing to baseball, which “returned to play a shortened season in 2020 that was nearly derailed by the virus and labor negotiations. There were seven-inning double headers, runners on second base to start extra innings, designated hitters in the National League and expanded playoffs.” The Journal also writes, “The NFL expanded its practice squads in a move that employed more players and gave teams more depth. The NBA also expanded its rosters, while its playoffs for this season will begin with a mini play-in tourney for the seventh and eight seeds in each conference. It gives more teams a shot at the playoffs, disincentivizes tanking, and provides new entertainment—all the qualities of an idea that could be appealing even when it isn’t motivated by the need to even out randomness in a shortened season.” Meanwhile, games were played with no or smaller audiences with those attending required to wear masks and follow other procedures to prevent Covid spread. This led to new camera shots to show the game, including the use of drones to film. John Entz, a media consultant and former president at Fox Sports told the Journal, “There’s no going back.”

Bonus Reads: “How to Help Kids Manage Anxiety as Schools Reopen,” (WSJ); “I Was So Nervous’: Back to Class After a Year Online,” (NYT).

Analysis & Arguments

Maura Judkis reports on the mixed feelings experienced by those with priority vaccination status based on Body Mass Index (WaPo).

Emily Heil and Manuel Roig-Franzia profile a restaurant that survived for 37 years until the pandemic and its employees’ stories (WaPo).

Sarah Zhang writes on the new ease with which scientists can trace changes in a virus (Atlantic).

José R. Ralat writes reports on the fears expressed by Latino food workers as Covid restrictions in Texas come to an end (Texas Monthly).

 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.

Read previous briefs here and stream and subscribe to our weekly podcast here.

About New America

New America is dedicated to renewing the promise of America by continuing the quest to realize our nation's highest ideals. Read the rest of our story, or see what we've been doing recently in our latest Annual Report. 

Help us to continue advancing policy solutions and journalism by making a donation to New America.