No images? Click here Click here to subscribe to the daily brief. July 26, 2021 - Brief Issue 233 The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University. The Coronavirus Daily Brief will be on hiatus for the month of August. Please consider making a donation to support our ongoing analysis of the most important news and headlines surrounding Covid-19. Top Headlines European Medicines Agency Approves Moderna’s Vaccine for Children Over 12 (Health & Science) The Race for a Covid-19 Pill Heats Up (Health & Science) Musical Festivals Return, But Some Health Experts Express Concerns (Health & Science) France’s Senate Approves Vaccine Pass, Germany Unsure About It (Around the World) Indonesia Extends Curbs, Children Dying of Covid at High Rate (Around the World) Tennessee Resumes Vaccine Outreach to Young People (U.S. Politics & Government) Phoenix’s Booming Housing Market On Track to Break Annual Growth Record (U.S. Economy) School Cafeterias Face Supply Chain Disruptions (U.S. Society) Homeschooling Surges Amid Pandemic (U.S. Society) NFL to Crack Down on Unvaccinated Players and Personnel (U.S. Society) Health & Science There have been 34,444,770 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 610,892 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 341,818,968 vaccine doses, with 56.8% of all Americans having received their first vaccine dose and 49.1% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 69% have received at least one dose, and 60% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 194,296,614 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 4,162,124 deaths. European Medicines Agency Approves Moderna’s Vaccine for Children Over 12 On Friday the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Union’s main drug regulator, authorized the use of Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine for children age 12 and older (EMA). The agency already approved the vaccine for those over 18 in January and it is also licensed for use in those over 18 in the U.S., Canada, and Britain (NYT). The agency’s recommendation will now go to the European Commission, the bloc’s administrative arm, for final approval. Then a decision regarding if and when to begin using the vaccine on children will be up to the 27 individual national governments. The Race for a Covid-19 Pill Heats Up A Japanese company, Shionogi, has joined Pfizer and Merck in the race to find a treatment for Covid-19 in pill form. Shionogi announced that it is beginning human trials of its drug this month, but it is starting months behind Pfizer and Merck, both of which have started later-stage tests of pills to treat Covid-19 (WSJ). Pfizer has said its twice-daily pill should be ready later this year. All three companies hope to be able to provide a treatment similar to Tamiflu, a pill that can be taken at home and treats the disease by lessening symptoms and shortening down-time. Existing treatments for Covid-19, like the infused antiviral drug remdesivir, have to be administered in hospitals and only work some of the time. Vaccines are still the best defense against the disease, and while they are effective at preventing serious illness, there can still be breakthrough cases where those who are vaccinated still contract Covid-19. Musical Festivals Return, But Some Health Experts Express Concerns Over the summer, many musical festivals - halted by the pandemic and social distancing restrictions - are returning, yet some health experts still express concern about safety (WaPo). The Washington Post writes, “After 2020′s summer of shutdowns, fans, musicians and promoters are eager to return to the stage — as are many of the cities that host the lucrative events. It’s made major music festivals seem like an unstoppable force and, to health experts, an avoidable risk.” Maria Alcaide, the director of the Infectious Diseases Research Unit with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told the Post, “I would probably not recommend [going],” pointing to increased cases especially among unvaccinated Americans. Sajal Tanna, an infectious-diseases physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, told the Post, “Just because you’re fully vaccinated doesn’t mean you’re fully immune.” The Post also writes, “Infectious-disease experts interviewed by The Post were less cavalier. They said while being outdoors in a well-ventilated area is less risky than an indoor setting, festivalgoers are likely to have a hard time keeping the necessary physical distance when crowds are packed in and everyone is dancing, singing, shouting, sweating and drinking. Even outdoors, the risk of increased transmission rises at chokepoints such as entrances, bathroom lines and at the space nearest to the stage where crowds tend to pack in the tightest.” Around the World France’s Senate Approves Vaccine Pass, Germany Unsure About It French lawmakers moved closer to passing a bill that would require coronavirus vaccinations for certain professions, to access cultural and leisure spaces, and to travel (Politico). The new measure, called passe sanitaire, was approved late Saturday by the Senate with changes to the government’s draft that would exempt minors and remove restaurant and cafe terraces from the requirements. Senators also tabled an amendment that would postpone the implementation of the new rules to September instead of August. The next step is approval from the lower house of parliament. The progress on the new measures went ahead despite protests across France that drew more than 160,000 people. Around 35% of French citizens support such protests, according to a new poll. The protesters denounced what they call a "sanitary dictatorship" and say the health passes violate individual freedom. Other European countries are also moving ahead with vaccine passes or health certificates of some kind. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel ruled out an approach similar to that in France last week but then on Sunday her Chancellory Chief of Staff Helge Braun contradicted her and said such a move could be in order if case numbers continued to rise. "Those who have been vaccinated will definitely have more freedom than those who have not been vaccinated," he told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "If the incidence of infection is high despite testing concepts, unvaccinated people would have to reduce their contacts," Braun explained. "This may also mean that certain offerings such as restaurants, movies and stadium visits would no longer be possible, even for tested unvaccinated people, because the residual risk is too high." Braun said getting vaccinated is important to protect against severe disease and because “vaccinated people will definitely have more freedoms than unvaccinated people.” He said such policies would be legal because “the state has the responsibility to protect the health of its citizens.” Braun’s comments added fuel to the ongoing debate in German politics about the potential for requiring Covid-19 vaccinations (AP). Even within Merkel’s own Christian Democrats party, Armin Laschet, the candidate to replace Merkel, said he opposes any formal or informal vaccine requirements for the time being. Bonus Read: “Europe’s Summer Tourism Outlook Dimmed by Variants, Rules,” (AP). Indonesia Extends Curbs, Children Dying of Covid at High Rate Indonesia, Asia’s newest epicenter of the pandemic, has extended its current Covid-19 restrictions by a week to August 2. The government made the announcement on Sunday and hopes that the additional time will allow officials to add more intensive care units in hospitals amid a rise in deaths. "I'd like to thank all Indonesians for their understanding and support for the curbs that have been effective for 23 days," President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, said, adding that COVID infections and hospital bed occupancies had declined, without specifying by how much. Traditional markets and restaurants with outdoor seating can still operate with some limitations, such as giving customers only 20 minutes to finish their meals. Last week Indonesia reported record-high deaths on four separate days, with 1,566 deaths reported on Friday to bring the total to over 83,000 since the start of the pandemic. Of those deaths, an alarmingly high number have been in children. The nation’s pediatric society attributed more than 100 deaths of children to Covid-19 each week this month, a development that runs counter to the global trend of children facing minimal risk from the disease (NYT). “Our numbers are the highest in the world,” the head of the Indonesian Pediatric Society, Dr. Aman Bhakti Pulungan, said of the death rate. “Why are we not giving the best for our children?” The Delta variant is sweeping across Indonesia along with the rest of Southeast Asia; Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam are all experiencing surges. Australian PM: Protests ‘Selfish and Self-Defeating’ The anti-lockdown protests in Sydney over the weekend were “selfish and self-defeating” Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, said on Sunday. Some 3,500 people protested in Sydney after New South Wales tightened restrictions last week, the fifth week of the latest lockdown (WaPo). The participants violated the strict stay-at-home orders and officials are warning that it could be a superspreader event. Morrison told the Guardian that the protest “achieves no purpose” and “it won’t end the lockdown sooner.” Nearly half of Australia’s population is under some form of lockdown as the Delta variant fuels outbreaks that had previously been spared from the worst of the pandemic. Bonus Read: “For South Sudan Mothers, Covid-19 Shook a Fragile Foundation,” (AP). U.S. Government & Politics Tennessee Resumes Vaccine Outreach to Young People On Friday, Tennessee resumed its outreach to minors encouraging them to get vaccinated following a pause in such outreach due to Republican opposition (WaPo). At a press conference Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey stated, “We put a pause on many things, and then we have resumed all of those.” However, Tennessee will not resume social media outreach aimed at specifically getting kids vaccinated. The Washington Post writes, “Piercey also announced that health officials will provide vaccinations to minors without their parents’ permission in what she described as ‘fringed and nuanced’ circumstances. Her statement Friday contradicted an announcement this week by state Republicans who claimed that Piercey privately agreed ‘to stop vaccinating children for covid-19 without parental consent, and to stop marketing to minors,’ according to the Tennessean newspaper.” U.S. Economy Phoenix’s Booming Housing Market On Track to Break Annual Growth Record The housing market in Phoenix, Arizona is booming, and is on track to break the record for fastest annual growth in home prices (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal reports, “Phoenix home prices have risen faster on an annual basis than any other metro area in the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index for 23 straight months, matching the record streak set by Portland from 1990 to 1992. If Phoenix holds on to the No. 1 spot when the May index data is released Tuesday, it would mark the longest a city has held the record for fastest annual growth in data going back to 1987, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.” However, while Phoenix is seeing rising home prices, the price of Phoenix homes is still lower than in many other cities. The Journal notes, “The Phoenix-area median existing-home price was $399,900 in June, up 31.1% from a year earlier, according to the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service. That’s more than $100,000 below the median home prices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Denver.” As we have covered in prior briefs, housing markets across the country have seen a boom in demand and rising prices during the pandemic. Bonus Read: “Inflation Threat May Be Boosted by Changes in Globalization, Demographics and E-Commerce,” (WSJ). U.S. Society Bonus Read: “In Alabama and Louisiana, Partisan Opposition to Vaccine Surges Alongside Delta Variant,” (Politico). School Cafeterias Face Supply Chain Disruptions As schools prepare for the return of students in the fall, many school cafeterias are wrestling with supply chain disruptions that are affecting their operations (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal writes, “Schools are struggling to secure food for student breakfasts and lunches ahead of classrooms’ planned reopening in the fall. Some cafeterias are cutting menu choices as food suppliers face labor shortages and transportation challenges that are adding costs and limiting supplies. Food distributors and school officials say they expect to run low on everything from canned fruit to lunch trays, and some worry that the lack of options will deter students from getting meals at school.” As schools return to a level of activity that they have not seen in more than a year due to the pandemic, wider issues with supply chains in the food industry will likely pose challenges. The Journal notes, “Rising transportation costs, labor pressure and ingredient constraints have squeezed U.S. food makers and sellers for months, as the U.S. economy rebounds from the Covid-19 pandemic and restaurants reopen for in-person dining. Such challenges are acute for schools that have to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements for nutritional value and packaging sizes, industry officials said.” Homeschooling Surges Amid Pandemic The Associated Press reports that amid the pandemic, the number of children being homeschooled has surged (AP). The AP writes, “The surge has been confirmed by the U.S. Census Bureau, which reported in March that the rate of households homeschooling their children rose to 11% by September 2020, more than doubling from 5.4% just six months earlier.” The AP also notes differences along racial lines in the data on the rise in homeschooling, writing, “Black households saw the largest jump; their homeschooling rate rose from 3.3% in the spring of 2020 to 16.1% in the fall.” NFL to Crack Down on Unvaccinated Players and Personnel During the off-season, the NFL did not require players and other team staff to be vaccinated, but as the training season and regular season approach, the league is preparing to impose costs on teams that have not vaccinated their people (NYT). The New York Times reports, “Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday sent a memo to all 32 teams outlining Covid-19 guidelines for the 2021 season that detail drastic penalties for teams with unvaccinated personnel, including the forfeiture of games. Any forfeits could result in players’ not being paid — if their infections are known to have caused an outbreak. While the memo does not mandate vaccination, it represents the N.F.L.’s strongest stance yet amid the coronavirus pandemic, showing how seriously it wishes to avoid the hurdles of 2020.” Bonus Read: “At George Mason University, the Return of Campus Tours Brings Back Another Sense of Normalcy,” (WaPo). Analysis & Arguments Katherine J. Wu writes on why she is again wearing a mask (Atlantic). Zeynep Turfecki argues American dysfunction is the biggest barrier to the United States’ Covid response (NYT). Katy Reckdahl and L. Kasimu Harris examine the challenges of reopening a city like New Orleans that relies on festivals for much of its economy (NYT). Peter Holley writes on rising Covid cases in Texas (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. |