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December 1, 2020, Brief Issue 124

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

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Top Headlines

Moderna Announces Full Clinical Trial Results; Will Apply for U.S. and European Regulatory Approval Immediately; Pfizer Applied for Emergency EU Regulatory Approval for its Vaccine (Health & Science)

Questions Emerge About Equity and Access to New Covid-19 Vaccines (Health & Science)

Experts Urge Thanksgiving Travelers to Get Tested for Covid-19; New York City Ramps Up Testing (Health & Science)

Study Finds Black Children Disproportionately Affected by Severe Covid-19 Symptoms (Health & Science)

California May Face Lockdown as Hospitals Fill Up (Health & Science)

New Study from CDC: Americans Contracted Covid-19 in Mid-December (Health & Science)

Number of People Needing Aid Up 40%, Says U.N. (Around the World)

Italy Approves Stimulus Package (Around the World)

Report Shows Covid-19 Infections Down 30% in England After National Lockdown (Around the World)

Cases Spike in Indonesia, Jakarta’s Governor Tests Positive (Around the World)

Vietnam Reports First Local Infection in Almost Three Months (Around the World)

Dr. Atlas Resigns From President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force (U.S. Government)

Bipartisan Senate Group Seeks Compromise on Coronavirus Relief (U.S. Government)

States Will Control Vaccine Distribution, Says Trump Administration (U.S. Government)

U.S. President Elect Biden Announces Economic Team To Navigate Post-Pandemic Economy (U.S. Economy)

Tyson Accused of Lying to Workers on Covid-19 Risks (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 13,545,017 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 268,087 people have died (Johns Hopkins). Around 5,146,319 people have recovered, and the United States has conducted 192,769,788 tests. Worldwide, there have been 63,294,405 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 1,469,096 deaths. At least 40,572,520 people have recovered from the virus.

Moderna Announces Full Clinical Trial Results; Will Apply for Regulatory Approval Immediately; Pfizer Applied for Emergency EU Regulatory Approval for its Vaccine

The drug company Moderna announced the final results of their Covid-19 vaccine trials on Monday and moved quickly to apply for regulatory approval (NYT, WSJ, STAT, Science). The final results revealed 94.1% efficacy for the vaccine, with just 11 of 196 total cases of symptomatic Covid-19 occurring in participants who had received the two-dose vaccine. The vaccine also had 100% efficacy against severe cases of the disease. Paul Offit, a vaccine researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of an independent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee, called the achievement “absolutely remarkable.”

Moderna requested emergency use authorization from both the U.S. FDA and the European Medical Agency on Monday. Rolling applications with other health agencies around the world are also ongoing. The Moderna vaccine is scheduled to be reviewed by the FDA on December 10, along with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Moderna’s CEO, Stéphane Bancel, said that the first doses of their vaccine could be given as soon as Dec. 21 in the United States if all goes smoothly with the FDA review. Moderna expects to provide the U.S. government with at least 15 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year and is set to produce between 500 million and 1 billion doses for worldwide distribution in 2021.

On Tuesday Pfizer Inc and BioNTech announced their Covid-19 vaccine could be rolled out in Europe as early as this month after it applied for EU emergency approval (Reuters). The application to the European Medicines Agency comes just days after the companies applied for emergency use of their vaccine in the United States.  

Questions Emerge About Equity and Access to New Covid-19 Vaccines

As multiple Covid-19 vaccines near readiness for general distribution, world leaders are wrestling with the questions of who should get vaccinated first and how to ensure equitable distribution (Politico). The vaccine will roll out gradually over the first half of 2021, with more vulnerable groups receiving the vaccine first. Some countries, such as Germany and Japan, intend to prioritize elderly and ill patients. Others, including the U.S. and the U.K., recommend vaccinating frontline healthcare works first. In many countries, leaders will weigh racial, ethnic and economic disparities as they attempt to distribute the vaccine to those most in need.

In the U.S., the recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is that healthcare workers should be prioritized in the first wave of vaccinations. The committee, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will vote at an emergency session on Tuesday to make the position official. However, some White House officials, including coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, are pushing to prioritize seniors over healthcare workers because of the high risk of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Ultimately, however, decisions about vaccine priorities will be left to individual states. Moncef Slaoui, leader of Operation Warp Speed, said he “[doesn’t] expect the states to make uniform decisions” and left it to state and local leaders to decide which groups are in greatest need of vaccination. Critics of this plan worry that the lack of uniformity could lead to uneven rollout and diminished public confidence in vaccination (Politico, STAT).

Experts Urge Thanksgiving Travelers to Get Tested for Covid-19; New York City Ramps Up Testing

As millions of people return home after traveling for Thanksgiving, health experts are asking those who gathered with people outside their households to get tested for Covid-19. Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, said, “If your family traveled, you have to assume that you were exposed and you became infected.” Dr. Birx also urged those over 65 and those with comorbidities to get tested immediately if they developed symptoms (CNN Health).

New York City health officials, anticipating a Thanksgiving weekend surge in cases, are ramping up Covid-19 testing efforts both for its inhabitants and for travelers passing through. The city has set up testing sites at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, as well as at major urban transit centers. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimates that over half a million travelers passed through its three major airports over the Thanksgiving holiday (WSJ).

Study Finds Black Children Disproportionately Affected by Severe Covid-19 Symptoms

Although children are less likely to experience severe Covid-19 symptoms, some do develop what is known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a rare but serious complication. A population-based cohort study conducted in New York City and published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open found that Black children were more than three times as likely to experience MIS-C than White children (CIDRAP). Hispanic children were also at higher risk, being 1.7 times as likely to experience MIS-C than White children.

Overall incidence of MIS-C remains low – only 0.01% – but the authors of the study advised clinicians to be aware of the potential increased risks for Black and Hispanic children. The authors said they did not yet know whether the MIS-C disparities were related to broader disparities seen with Covid-19, which often disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic communities.

California May Face Lockdown as Hospitals Fill Up

California’s intensive care units could run out of beds by the end of the year, Governor Gavin Newsome said in a briefing on Monday (NYT, SF Chronicle). Already, 99% of California’s residents are under strict restrictions that limit group gatherings and impose curfews on nonessential businesses. Los Angeles recently prohibited all gatherings, public and private, among members of different households.

If current trends continue, Governor Newsome said, even more restrictive rules, possibly including a full lockdown, could become necessary to bring infection rates down and keep hospitals under capacity. State and local officials and health care providers met over the weekend to discuss possible strategies. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s secretary of health and human services, said that the goal was “to make sure what we do is impactful and as time-limited as possible.”

New Study from CDC: Americans Contracted Covid-19 in Mid-December 

An analysis of antibodies found in blood donations to the Red Cross suggest that the coronavirus was present in the U.S. as early as mid-December of 2019 before the first cases were officially reported in China (WaPo). The new study, published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, provides evidence that the virus was present in the U.S. before the first case official case was confirmed on Jan. 19, 2020. CDC researchers tested samples of blood collected from 7,389 donors between Dec. 13, 2019 and Jan. 17, 2020 and found 106 samples with antibodies that could indicate a prior coronavirus infection (WSJ). Samples collected in California, Oregon, and Washington in mid-December showed antibodies, suggesting that people on the West Coast contracted the virus before health officials in Wuhan, China reported an outbreak on Dec. 31. Antibodies were also found in samples from the East Coast and Midwest states that were collected between Dec. 30 and Jan. 17, suggesting that some people were infected in those states more than a month before the first cases were officially confirmed. 

Bonus reads: ‘The Wuhan files: Leaked documents reveal China’s mishandling of the early stages of Covid-19,’ (CNN); ‘Covid-19 vaccines face a varied and powerful misinformation movement online,’ (NBC).

Around the World

Number of People Needing Aid Up 40%, Says U.N.

The United Nations said Tuesday that the Covid-19 pandemic has fueled a 40% increase in the number of people needing humanitarian assistance around the world as it appealed for more funds for next year (Reuters). “If everyone who will need humanitarian aid next year lived in one country, it would be the world’s fifth largest nation,” U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock said, adding, “The pandemic has wreaked carnage across the most fragile and vulnerable countries.”  The U.N. has established 34 humanitarian response plans spanning 56 countries for 2021, focusing on the world’s most vulnerable people who are facing hunger, conflict, effects of climate change, and now, the coronavirus pandemic. The U.N. said it needs to raise $35 billion for its work next year.

Europe

Italy Approves Stimulus Package

Italy approved a fourth stimulus package worth $9.6 billion, or 8 billion euros, on Sunday to support struggling businesses (NYT). The deal will postpone or suspend tax deadlines for some businesses, subsidize amateur sports associations, and send checks of 1,000 euros to seasonal workers in the tourism, spa, and entertainment industries (Bloomberg). Italy is currently under a nationwide 10 p.m. curfew with bars and restaurants closing at 6 p.m., although some regions have even stricter restrictions. 

Report Shows Covid-19 Infections Down 30% in England After National Lockdown

An analysis of over 100,000 volunteers showed a 30% decrease in Covid-19 cases in England following a national lockdown that began on Nov. 5, according to an interim report (CNN, Reuters). The report, which comes from the Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission (REACT) program, found that about one in 100 people in England had the virus between Nov. 13 and Nov. 24. As of Nov.r 2, the figure was approximately 1 in 80. The health department said that while disease prevalence was still high, infection numbers decreased sharply in several critical hotspots, making outbreaks more manageable going forward. The country will resume regional mitigation methods beginning Dec. 2.

Europe’s Christmas Markets Move Online

Christmas markets are a beloved tradition in European cities and draw thousands of visitors each year with their mulled wine, public art, and craft vendors but most were cancelled this year due to the pandemic. Some cities are still trying to bring holiday cheer to residents by celebrating in different forms. In Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, the mayor led a Facebook livestream walk through the city’s historic center where he met musicians and artists along the way, showing viewers paintings and Christmas lights in the main square (NYT). In Landshut, Germany, visitors can experience the Christmas market as a drive-through. Mask-wearing market workers will hand visitors menus and they can order roasted chestnuts and gingerbread hearts. But in spite of the attempt to adapt the markets, many artists and vendors who depend on the markets for revenue are struggling without the ability to market their wares to the typical crowds. Bonus Read: "Locked Down Greek Fir Tree Farmers Wait for Christmas Miracle," (Reuters).

Asia 

Cases Spike in Indonesia, Jakarta’s Governor Tests Positive

Anies Baswedan, the governor of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, said on Tuesday that he had tested positive for Covid-19 (Reuters). The world’s fourth most populous country is now struggling with a spike in the number of infections with three days of record-high case counts in the past week. With 530,000 infections and almost 17,000 deaths, the country has been one of the hardest-hit in Southeast Asia. Jakarta has been averaging around 1,240 cases per day in the past week. Indonesia has resisted a nationwide lockdown in favor of a targeted, local approach to restrictions.

Vietnam Reports First Local Infection in Almost Three Months

Vietnamese authorities are undertaking intensive contact tracing after the country’s first local transmission of the coronavirus in 89 days was confirmed (AP). State media reported on Tuesday that a 32-year-old man in Ho Chi Minh City tested positive after visiting a flight attendant who was self-quarantining at his home following a visit to Japan two weeks ago. The flight attendant tested positive on Saturday. At least 137 people who were in contact with the man have been told to quarantine now. Vietnam’s borders remain closed.

Pandemic Cuts North Korea’s Trade with China 

North Korean state media reported on Monday that leader Kim Jong-un “harshly criticized” his government agencies for mishandling the economy as the country’s already limited trade with China has continued to dwindle during the pandemic. According to customs data released by Beijing last week, North Korea’s imports from China from January to October plummeted by 76% to $487 million, while its exports shrank 74% to $45 million in the same period. China is North Korea’s only major trading partner, accounting for more than 90% of its external trade (NYT). In October, the North’s import from China amounted to a mere $253,000, nearly a 99% drop from the previous month.

U.S. Government & Politics

Dr. Atlas Resigns From President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force

Dr. Scott Atlas, a controversial advisor to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, resigned on Monday from his assignment. A neuroradiologist and fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institute who joined the task force in August, Atlas tweeted an image on Monday night of what appeared to be his resignation letter. "I sincerely wish the new team all the best as they guide the nation through these trying, polarized times," he wrote. While it is unclear exactly what triggered Atlas’ resignation, his 130-day window as a special government employee was set to expire this week.  His time with the task force stoked controversy as Atlas frequently espoused misinformation about the pandemic. In October, Twitter removed one of Atlas’ tweets that read “Masks work? NO" followed by untrue and misleading statements on the effectiveness of mask-wearing. In November, he urged Michigan residents to “rise up” against the state’s public health measures just weeks after law enforcement thwarted an alleged kidnapping plot against Governor Gretchen Whitmer (CNN).

Bipartisan Senate Group Seeks Compromise on Coronavirus Relief

On Monday, Politico reported that a bipartisan group of senators is attempting to breathe life into talks for a new coronavirus stimulus package amid congressional deadlock. The group is informal and any gains are likely to be modest, Politico warned, as GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi remain entrenched in conflicting positions. As we have previously noted, crucial provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act are set to expire at the end of the year. If Congress does not pass a new bill, about 12 million Americans will lose their unemployment insurance after Christmas. Others will be at risk for homelessness if the eviction moratorium is not renewed. Participants in the informal talks, according to Politico’s sources, include: Chris Coons (D-Del.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). After Politico published its report, Senator Warner told MSNBC that "it would be stupidity on steroids” for Congress to fail to act. "Both sides are going to have to compromise,” said Warner. “The Democrats aren't going to get what they want with their $2 trillion plan, and clearly the so-called skinny plan that Leader McConnell put out is not nearly enough to provide a bridge” (Politico).

States Will Control Vaccine Distribution, Says Trump Administration

The Trump Administration has told states that they will have the ultimate authority in vaccine distribution, reported Politico, setting the stage for a nationally inconsistent framework that experts fear could lead to credibility problems. While a consensus exists among state governments that health workers should have priority, other priorities remain less clear as more than 100 million Americans suffer from medical conditions that increase coronavirus vulnerability. There are also 53 million senior citizens in the country with a heightened risk, while another 87 million Americans do not necessarily have underlying conditions but are categorized as essential workers with an increased risk of exposure to the potentially fatal virus. Further complicating matters is that states will be allocated doses by population size with no regard for the prevalence of at-risk groups within each state. 

Any inconsistency may shake public confidence in the vaccine, warned public health experts, when 40 million doses potentially become available next month. “States are going to have to pick and choose who gets the first doses,” Josh Michaud, an associate director for global health policy at Kaiser Family Foundation, told Politico. “It’s very obvious that states are in different places when it comes to planning and identifying who those people are.” But Eric Toner, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, defended the administration’s choice, arguing that flexibility is necessary to address the needs of specific states. “During this whole pandemic, every state has done things a little bit differently, and to some extent, that’s okay,” he said (Politico).

Articles of Impeachment Filed Against Ohio Governor 

Four Republican state representatives in Ohio filed impeachment articles against Governor Mike DeWine. The articles filed against DeWine, who is also a Republican, include a long list of grievances against the state’s public health policies in response to the pandemic. Mandatory mask-wearing and stay-at-home orders are among the policies singled out by the Republican lawmakers as impeachable offenses as the accusers in the statehouse consider them violations of civil liberties. Amid reports in August that the lawmakers were considering impeachment, DeWine dismissed such a move as ridiculous. "As governor, my priorities are to keep people safe and to get our economy moving faster," DeWine said at the time. "If there are others in the legislature who want to spend their time drawing up resolutions and filing articles ... I'd just say to them, 'Have at it.’" In order for the impeachment proceedings against DeWine to succeed, a majority of the Ohio House of Representatives would have to approve the measure followed by a conviction passed by two-thirds of the state senate (The Hill).

U.S. Economy

President Elect Biden Announces Economic Team To Navigate Post-Pandemic Economy

President Elect Joseph Biden has picked an economic team including center-left policymakers and progressive economists as he prepares to tackle the post-pandemic economy. The nominees include policy stalwarts such as Janet Yellen, the former Fed chair, as Treasury Secretary and Neera Tanden, a former Hillary Clinton aide, as budget director. Cecilia Rouse of Princeton University was nominated to lead the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers. If Biden’s team is confirmed in Congress, she will be joined by Jared Bernstein, who served as Biden’s chief economic advisor during the Obama Administration, and Heather Boushey, president of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth think tank. All three economists selected to serve on the council fall on the left wing of the Democratic Party, with Bernstein and Boushey specializing in labor rights and income inequality respectively (FT). Boushey maintains support for mandating universal 12-week paid family and medical leave, saying last week in an interview that such policies are especially important during a pandemic. The selection drew praise from William E. Spriggs, the chief economist for the A.F.L.-C.I.O. labor union, who told the New York Times that “we have not had a C.E.A. (Council of Economic Advisors) as focused on the role of fiscal policy and full employment since President Johnson” (NYT). Biden’s picks have drawn criticism from the right, with Tanden singled out in particular by Republicans. “Neera Tanden is a big-government, big-spending radical liberal who’s a terrible choice for OMB Director,” tweeted Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla).”It’s just more proof that Joe Biden and the Democrats will continue to move further and further to the Left” (National Review).

U.S. Society

Tyson Accused of Lying to Workers on Covid-19 Risks

Families of deceased workers have accused Tyson Foods Inc., one of the world’s largest meat and poultry processors, of deceiving employees at a pork plant on the risks of the coronavirus. According to the complaint, plant management directed interpreters at its Waterloo, Iowa facility to tell staff that “everything is fine” during an April staff meeting even as employees were already testing positive for the illness. The lawsuit also alleges that management told staff that Black Hawk County officials had “cleared” the plant when in fact the county health department had urged Tyson to close the facility. About 1,000 of the plant’s 2,800 employees eventually caught the coronavirus. Tyson’s Waterloo facility also came under fire earlier in November amid accusations that a manager created a betting pool in the early days of the pandemic to guess how many employees would contract the virus. The manager remains suspended without pay (Bloomberg). The meat processing industry has come under fire during the pandemic for failing to protect workers amid studies showing that line workers are especially vulnerable to exposure to the coronavirus. An April 28 executive order provided legal cover for the industry after President Donald Trump declared that the sector fell within the confines of the Defense Production Act’s ability to force enterprises to operate in the interest of national security. In September, a ProPublica investigation revealed that an email sent by the president of the North American Meat Institute, an interests group representing the sector, to the U.S. Department of Agriculture contained a draft executive order similar to the one issued by Trump one week later (ProPublica).

Chicago Shuts Down Illicit Cocktail Bar Party

Authorities in Chicago shut down a late-night party in the basement of a cocktail bar on Sunday. The party, hosted by private promoters, included 300 guests gathered in the establishment with neither masks nor social distancing. The promoter received nine citations for violating coronavirus regulations, operating without a license and allowing indoor smoking and sparklers. Indoor dining has been banned in Chicago since October 30, resulting in 20 citations and 54 notices sent to bars, restaurants, and other businesses in the following month. Such violations, said Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno in a statement, “are a slap in the face to the thousands of businesses and millions of Chicagoans that are making sacrifices every day to keep our city safe.” Other cities have seen a similar flaunting of rules, with New York authorities breaking up an underground party with 400 guests early on Saturday morning (WaPo).

Analysis & Arguments

 Rachel Gutman examines the pitfalls of sprawling quarantine pods (The Atlantic).

Samantha Schmidt says that without sporting events or bars some male friendships are suffering from a lack of deep connection during the pandemic (WaPo).

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

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

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