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March 2, 2021 - Brief Issue 160
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
CDC Director “Deeply Concerned” over Potential Surge in Coronavirus Cases and 2,000 Daily Deaths; White House Acknowledges Problems with Many Finding Vaccine Appointments (Health & Science)
WHO: Global Coronavirus Cases Are on the Rise for the First Time in Seven Weeks; WTO Director-General Urges Countries to Open Covid-19 Vaccine Productions Sites to Help the World’s Most in-Need (Health & Science)
New Study Finds Individuals with Obesity May Produce Fewer Antibodies after Receiving Covid-19 Vaccination (Health & Science)
New Study Finds Americans Warming up to Idea of Taking Covid-19 Vaccine; California Moves to Vaccinate Essential Agricultural Workers; Texas Has Every Covid-19 Variant Present in the State (Health & Science)
Philippines Begin Vaccination Campaign (Around the World)
Japan Asks China to Refrain from Conducting Anal Swabs (Around the World)
India’s Prime Minister Gets Vaccinated (Around the World)
Belgium Reconsiders AstraZeneca Vaccine for Those Over 55 (Around the World)
Iraq Receives First Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine (Around the World)
Senate Prepares to Pass Covid Relief Without Minimum Wage Hike (U.S. Government & Politics)
California Governor Newsom Strikes Deal with Lawmakers to Reopen Schools (U.S. Government & Politics)
Biden Releases Video in Support of Amazon Workers’ Right to Unionize (U.S. Government & Politics)
Millions of Tenants Behind on Rent and Waiting on Covid Relief (U.S. Economy)
New Single Shot Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Raises Inequity Questions (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 28,664,448 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 514,657 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has conducted 351,801,124 tests and distributed 96,402,490 vaccine doses, with 76,899,987 doses administered (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 114,480,829 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 2,539,926 deaths. At least 64,685,976 people have recovered from the virus.
Bonus Read: “More Than 1 Million Coronavirus Cases Reported in D.C., Maryland and Virginia,” (WaPo).
CDC Director “Deeply Concerned” over Potential Surge in Coronavirus Cases and 2,000 Daily Deaths; White House Acknowledges Problems with Many Finding Vaccine Appointments
On Monday, during a White House press conference, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky stated that she is “deeply concerned” about the potential for a surge in cases across the country and the current 2,000 daily Covid-19 deaths (CNN). As we noted in yesterday’s brief, the seven-day rolling average of new coronavirus cases has been close to 70,000 a day. Walensky pleaded, “Please hear me clearly. At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard earned ground we have gained,” adding, “Now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that we know can
stop the spread of Covid-19 in our communities, not when we are so close. We have the ability to stop a potential fourth surge of cases in this country” (Guardian).
The White House also acknowledged that scheduling Covid-19 vaccines across the country is still problematic for many. During the White House Covid-19 briefing on Monday, White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said, “Scheduling an appointment is too difficult – remains too difficult – in too many places,” adding, “But overall, too many Americans are suffering frustration, taking up way too much time to schedule an appointment” (CNN). The Biden administration is looking into ways to help states better distribute the vaccines. Bonus Read: “To Beat COVID, We May Need a Good Shot in the Nose,” (Scientific American).
WHO: Global Coronavirus Cases Are on the Rise for the First Time in Seven Weeks; WTO Director-General Urges Countries to Open Covid-19 Vaccine Productions Sites to Help the World’s Most in-Need
Global coronavirus infections are on the rise for the first time in seven weeks (Reuters). On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said of the rise in cases that they’re “disappointing but not surprising.” He said, “If countries rely solely on vaccines, they are making a mistake. Basic public health measures remain the foundation of the response.” He also noted that Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire are the first two countries to vaccinate their citizens with COVAX-provided vaccines.
On Monday, World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that, globally, companies need to create more Covid-19 vaccine production sites (Reuters). Okonjo-Iweala urged the WTO members, “We must focus on working with companies to open up and license more viable manufacturing sites now in emerging markets and developing countries,” to help the world’s most in need populations.
New Study Finds Individuals with Obesity May Produce Fewer Antibodies after Receiving Covid-19 Vaccination
A new study from Italy found that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be less effective for those who are considered obese (Guardian). The study, posted as a preprint manuscript on medRxiv, included 248 healthcare workers, 158 women and 90 men, and 99.5 percent of the participants developed an immune response to the vaccine after seven days of receiving the second dose. However, the study found: “The antibody titre was found to be higher in young and
female participants. A strong correlation of BMI classes with antibody titres was noticed: humoral response was more efficient in the group with under- and normal-weight vs the group with pre- and obesity participants.” Therefore, women, underweight or normal weight individuals, and younger individuals developed more antibodies than those who were men, overweight, and older. According to analysis by the Guardian, people with obesity often have inflammation in their body, which can make it more difficult to stave off infection, and “weaken certain immune responses, including those launched by the B and T cells that trigger a protective response
following vaccination.” In addition, influenza research has shown that the flu vaccine is half as effective in those who are obese than those who are normal weight, and a study in Brazil found that healthcare workers who had a high body mass index (BMI) were more likely to be reinfected with the coronavirus and also had a lower antibody response to their initial coronavirus
infection. According to the researchers in Italy, “Since obesity is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality for patients with Covid-19, it is mandatory to plan an efficient vaccination programme in this subgroup,” adding, “Although further studies are needed, this data may have important implications to the development of vaccination strategies for Covid-19, particularly in obese people. If our data was to be confirmed by larger studies, giving obese people an extra dose of the vaccine or a higher dose could be options to be evaluated in this population” (medRxiv).
New Study Finds Americans Warming up to Idea of Taking Covid-19 Vaccine; California Moves to Vaccinate Essential Agricultural Workers; Texas Has Every Covid-19 Variant Present in the State
According to reports by the Washington Post, both the seven-day rolling average for Covid-19 deaths and new coronavirus cases is still rising, while 15 percent of the U.S. population has received as least one vaccine shot and over 512,000 Americans have died from Covid-19. Research from Kekst CNC, and cited by the Post, found that since September 2020, confidence in a coronavirus vaccine has increased in the U.S. In September 2020, 52
percent of Americans were interested in taking the vaccine, and by February 2021 that number increased to 64 percent. Globally, the largest “uptake since September [of those likely to get the Covid-19 vaccine] is amongst older and middle-aged people.” Further, 68 percent of men globally say they are interested in taking the Covid-19, compared to 55 percent of women. The research included opinions of 1,000 adults each in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Sweden, France, and Japan. The margins of error in each country were +/-3.3 percent.
California has made the decision to vaccinate its farming workforce to protect them from Covid-19 (NYT). According to the New York Times, in some parts of the state, “up to 40 percent of the workers tested for the virus had positive results,” and many of those workers are undocumented immigrants. In Coachella Valley, California, one church is conducting 10 burials a week on average due to Covid-19. Our Lady of Soledad Church Reverend Francisco Gómez says of the impact of the pandemic, “You’re talking about an apocalyptic situation.” In response, temporary vaccination clinics have appeared, which are created and administered by
both the growers and the Riverside County Health Department. The Times reports that Riverside County (where Coachella Valley is located) in California is the first “to prioritize farm workers for vaccination, regardless of their age and health conditions,” and started in January. As we’ve noted in several previous briefs, farms and other food processing plants have been the locations of several coronavirus superspreader events due to the close proximity of workers to one another. Researchers from Purdue University “estimate that about 500,000 agricultural workers have tested positive for the virus and at least 9,000 have died from it.” The next states that may vaccinate their essential workers in the agricultural sector are Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In other states, it is not so easy. There have been several accounts of individuals
who fall within the age demographic that are eligible to receive the vaccine but can’t because they do not have proof of residency or a social security card, for example.
New research coming out of Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas has found that “Every coronavirus variant of concern to researchers around the world has been circulating in Houston at a low level for at least six to eight weeks,” (NYT). This is the first U.S. city to have known cases of each of those coronavirus strains. The research team has been sequencing 20,000 genomes and counting from patients in order to determine how well the variants can spread, symptoms, etc. Lead researcher James Musser said of the research on variants as it relates to media reports, “I think the crucial thing in all of this is that it is extraordinarily difficult for both the
medical and lay public to really sort through all this noise about variants,” adding, “The big issue is to try to get things toned down.” There are over 2,400 cases of coronavirus variants across the United States (CNN).
As Johnson & Johnson Vaccines Are Finally Shipped, New Studies Will Include Children, Infants, and Pregnant Women
On Monday morning, Johnson & Johnson began to ship its recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorized single dose vaccine across the United States (NBC). Four million doses have been shipped Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky said while appearing on NBC’s Today Show. Gorsky continued that “100 million shots should be distributed by June and a billion by the end of the year.” As we noted in yesterday’s brief, the study found that the vaccine was about 67 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe Covid-19 two weeks after vaccination, 66 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe Covid-19 four weeks after
vaccination, and 77 percent effective in preventing severe Covid-19 two weeks after vaccination and 85 percent effective in preventing severe Covid-19 28 days after vaccination (FDA).
Now that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is approved for use, the company plans to shift to studies that include additional demographic groups. According to reports by the New York Times, the first study will look at children between the ages of 12-17, followed by newborns and adolescents. Then, pregnant women will be studied, followed by immunocompromised individuals. According to Boston Children’s Hospital director for the Precision Vaccines Program and Food and Drug Administration advisory committee member Ofer Levy, while the vaccination of children may not be necessary to reopen schools, it will help the country reach herd immunity.
Around the World
Asia
Philippines Begin Vaccination Campaign
The Philippines began its inoculation campaign on Monday as the government struggles to contain one of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus in Southeast Asia. On Tuesday health officials confirmed six cases of the coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa, raising concerns that the currently available vaccines might be less effective (Guardian). On Sunday, President Rodrigo Duterte greeted a Chinese military aircraft carrying 600,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac and urged the public to get vaccinated. “To my fellow Filipinos, please set your fears aside,” Mr. Duterte said. “These vaccines are backed by science and deliberated on by our experts” (NYT). Philippine regulators issued emergency use authorization for the Sinovac shots last week but recent surveys show that almost half of Filipinos are unwilling to receive any coronavirus vaccine due to safety concerns; some officials worry that the “made in China” tag is deterring people from getting the shot, as the Philippines has a complicated relationship with China that includes a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
Japan Asks China to Refrain from Conducting Anal Swabs
Japan has asked China to stop taking anal swab tests for Covid-19 on its citizens when they enter the country as some complained that the procedure caused “psychological distress” (BBC). "Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they received anal swab tests, which caused great psychological pain," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said. China began carrying out anal swabs in January but as Kato said, their use “has not been confirmed anywhere else in the world” (Guardian). Last week, China denied that it had required U.S. diplomats to undergo such tests after U.S. media reported that some had complained about the procedure (BBC).
India’s Prime Minister Gets Vaccinated
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India was vaccinated against the coronavirus on Monday, receiving the first of two doses of Covaxin, a vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech, an Indian pharmaceutical company (NYT). India has approved two coronavirus vaccines for emergency use: the AstraZeneca vaccine, produced by Serum Institute India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, and Covaxin. On Monday India expanded vaccine eligibility to include anyone over the age of 60 and those over the age of 45 with chronic health conditions but there is hesitancy to get vaccinated among the public. One survey showed that 58% of respondents expressed doubts about getting vaccinated. India has only inoculated about 14 million of its 1.3 billion people so far. India has registered more than 11.1 million cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic.
New Zealanders Frustrated with Rule Breakers
Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand’s director general of health, has called on the nation to “not let the virus divide you” as public frustration with rule-breakers linked to recent coronavirus cases builds (Guardian). Auckland has been in lockdown since Sunday morning as a result of two cases of community transmission, both of which occurred while level-three restrictions were in place. One person who tested positive as part of a cluster of coronavirus cases met with a family member for a walk during a three-day lockdown last month and did not disclose the meeting to contact traces. That person’s son was also exposed and went to be tested, but instead of self-isolating while he waited for the results of the test, he went to the gym. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed the cases during a press briefing on Monday afternoon saying the police would decide whether to prosecute the rule breakers. “No one – in cabinet, no minister, no politician, none of us that I’ve spoken to – think that this is tolerable,” she said. “What has happened here has been a clear breach and everyone is frustrated by it.”
Europe
Bonus Read: “Behind the Lines of Britain’s Covid War,” (NYT).
Belgium Reconsiders AstraZeneca Vaccine for Those Over 55
Belgium is considering whether people over the age of 55 could now be given the AstraZeneca vaccine as the government tries to reset its stalled vaccination program (Guardian). Last month, Belgium, Germany, France, Poland, and Italy decided to only give the AstraZeneca vaccine to younger groups of people, citing a lack of data on its efficacy in older populations. But as hospitalizations in Belgium rose 44% from the previous week on Sunday and only 6.96% of Belgians have been vaccinated so far, the government is scrambling to adjust its guidance. Images of empty vaccination centers and media reports of vaccine doses going untouched are circulating, causing public outcry over the slow progress of the campaign.
Poll: Two Thirds of Russians Don’t Want Sputnik V Vaccine
Nearly two thirds of Russians are not willing to receive Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, according to an independent poll conducted by the Levada Center. On Monday, the Levada Center said that 62% of respondents said they did not want to get the domestically produced shot, with the highest number of reluctance identified in those aged 18-24 years (Reuters). Most cited side effects as the main reason for not wanting to get vaccinated, but the poll also found that 64% of respondents believed the coronavirus was created as a biological weapon. The poll sampled 1,601 people in 50 regions of Russia.
Middle East
Iraq Receives First Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine
An Iraqi military transport plane carrying the first batch of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines donated by China arrived in Baghdad late Monday (Reuters). The 50,000 doses will be offered to health care workers, elderly citizens, and members of the security forces, the Iraqi health ministry said in a statement. “We urgently asked for this shipment in coordination with Chinese embassy. We thank and appreciate China for supporting the Iraqi people,” Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi said during a ceremony. Hasan said Iraq will receive around 2 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine in stages.
Americas
Mexico’s Coronavirus Czar Discharged from Hospital
Hugo López-Gatell, the face of Mexico’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, has been discharged from the hospital after spending the past five days being treated for Covid-19 (NBC, Guardian). Health officials say he is recovering well. López-Gatell has drawn criticism for his handling of the pandemic, especially for downplaying the need for masks and spearheading a strategy of limited testing. Mexico has recorded 185,715 fatalities from the pandemic, which is the world’s fourth-highest death toll.
U.S. Government & Politics
Bonus Read: “Analysis: Trump Urges Vaccinations at CPAC Speech, Unlike When He Was President,” (WaPo).
Senate Prepares to Pass Covid Relief Without Minimum Wage Hike
The Senate is readying to pass Covid relief, but will not include the provision increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour that was included in the version the House of Representatives passed on Saturday (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal writes that the bill likely to pass this week, “would provide a $1,400 payment to many Americans; extend and enhance federal unemployment assistance; expand a child tax credit, send $350 billion in aid to state and local governments; and pour new funding into vaccine distribution, food stamps and schools.” The decision to abandon the minimum wage proposal came after two Democrats said they would oppose it and the Senate parliamentarian advised that it could not be passed via reconciliation, which would have meant the Democrats would likely have had to overcome a filibuster even if they managed to obtain a majority in support of the wage hike. On Monday, however, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), chair of the budget committee said he would move to force a roll call vote on the minimum wage proposal (Independent, WaPo).
California Governor Newsom Strikes Deal with Lawmakers to Reopen Schools
On Sunday, California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom struck a deal with state lawmakers that would aim to reopen schools for the youngest students by the end of March (Politico). The deal would not force schools to reopen. Instead Politico writes, “The new proposal would offer $2 billion in grants to schools that open transitional kindergarten through second grade by the end of March and bring back at-risk students in all grades. That includes districts in counties that are still in the state's purple tier, with infection rates higher than what teachers unions previously said are too unsafe for reopening.”
Biden Releases Video in Support of Amazon Workers’ Right to Unionize
On Sunday, President Joe Biden released a video in which he expressed support for the right of Amazon workers to unionize, as workers in Alabama prepare to vote on what could become the first unionized Amazon warehouse workforce in the United States (Politico, NPR). While Biden did not directly call on workers to vote in favor of unionization, he tweeted, “Workers in Alabama — and all across America — are voting on whether to organize a union in their workplace. It’s a vitally important choice — one that should be made without intimidation or threats by employers.” In the video, Biden stated, “I have long said America wasn't built by Wall Street, it was built by the middle class, and unions built the middle class.” As we have covered in prior briefs, Amazon warehouses have been a site of labor activity and protests over safety amid the pandemic as the company gained amid a shift towards online retail.
U.S. Economy
Bonus Read: “Dow Jumps 500 Points After House Passes Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Plan,” (Forbes).
Millions of Tenants Behind on Rent and Waiting on Covid Relief
Millions of renters are behind on their rent, as they wait for the disbursement of about $25 billion in support for renters and landlords that was appropriated by Congress in December (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal reports, “Many states are still determining how to distribute money they have received from the Treasury Department to help an estimated 13 million renters. Meanwhile, Congress is poised to appropriate another $20 billion in rental assistance,” noting that California for example has seen delays as a result of its effort to launch a new system. David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, a nonprofit affordable housing advocacy group, told the Journal, “Right now it’s just sitting there in most states,” adding, “The reality is that these things do take time and you want to do them well and not make mistakes because you went too fast.”
Bonus Read: “Is Inflation a Risk? Not Now, but Some See Danger Ahead,” (WSJ).
U.S. Society
New Single Shot Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Raises Inequity Questions
The FDA’s emergency approval of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which only requires one shot but which has shown a lower level of effectiveness compared to the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, is raising questions about how to distribute the vaccine in line with commitments to not creating inequities in distribution (WaPo). The Washington Post writes, “Decisions to send the shots to harder-to-reach communities make practical sense, because Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine is easier to store and use. But they could drive perceptions of a two-tiered vaccine system, riven along racial or class lines — with marginalized communities getting what they think is an inferior product.” According to the Post, the issue was raised on a conference call between Biden administration officials and governors where Massachusetts’ Republican Governor Charlie Baker stressed the importance of clear communication regarding the one dose vaccine. Washington’s Democratic Governor Jay Inslee similarly commented, “J&J is going to be a challenge for all of us.” Evidence from Germany also suggests that people may shun a vaccine out of concern regarding its comparative benefit to other vaccines. As we have covered in prior briefs, the Biden administration has committed to addressing inequities in vaccine distribution, but has on other occasions run into potential sites of tension between the structures that can help measure and reduce inequities and the demand for distribution as fast as possible.
Bonus Reads: “Millions Couldn’t Afford Diapers Before the Pandemic. Now, Diaper Banks Can’t Keep Up,” (WaPo); “‘It Just Sucks’: America’s Jobless Owe Thousands of Dollars in Taxes on Their Unemployment,” (WaPo).
Analysis & Arguments
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