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April 12, 2021 - Brief Issue 181
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 tomorrow, April 13 but will resume on Wednesday.
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Top Headlines
U.S. Secretary of State Demands Deeper Dive Into Origins of Covid-19 Pandemic (Health & Science)
U.S. States Start Lifting Residency Requirements for Vaccines (Health & Science)
Pfizer Requests FDA Authorization for Covid-19 Shot in Younger Teens (Health & Science)
J&J Distribution Falls After Recent Surge (Health & Science)
Vaccines Retain Efficacy Against California Variant, But South African Variant Proves More Worrying (Health & Science)
China Says Its Vaccines Aren’t Very Good, Considers Mixing-and-Matching for More Protection but Later Reverses (Around the World)
Italy Worried the Mob Has Infiltrated Vaccine Campaign (Around the World)
Chile Defends Use of Sinovac Vaccine After Chinese Official’s Comments (Around the World)
Supreme Court Strikes Down More Restrictions on Religious Gatherings (U.S. Government & Politics)
200,000 Sailors, Globally, Stuck at Sea Amid Pandemic (U.S. Economy)
Nearly 40% of Marines Refusing Vaccines (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 31,198,055 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 562,066 people have died (Johns Hopkins). About 35.9% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 21.9% are fully vaccinated. (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 136,136,954 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 2,938,200 deaths. At least 77,506,641 people have recovered from the virus.
U.S. Secretary of State Demands Deeper Dive Into Origins of Covid-19 Pandemic
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken called for a more thorough exploration of the origins of the virus causing Covid-19, accusing the Chinese government of being unforthcoming during the beginning of the pandemic (NYT). Blinken’s statements, made on NBC, echoed what many researchers and officials have had to say about a recent joint report from the World Health Organization and China that offered little definitive information into the origins of the virus. “I think China knows that in the early stages of Covid, it didn’t do what it needed to do,” Blinken said. “One result of that failure is that the virus got out of hand faster and with, I think, much more egregious results than it might otherwise.”
U.S. States Start Lifting Residency Requirements for Vaccines
While all 50 states have announced they will meet or beat President Biden’s April 19 deadline for making coronavirus vaccines available to every adult, some are taking the vaccination push a step further by removing residency requirements (NYT). New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announced Wednesday that the state should have enough supply by April 19 to expand eligibility to out-of-staters, and Oklahoma opened up shots to out-of-state residents on Thursday. Over half of U.S. states and D.C. still have residency requirements in place, but according to Jennifer Kates of the Kaiser Family Foundation, most will eventually lift those restrictions. Some experts say this push will be especially beneficial for out-of-state college students and people whose residency statuses are not clear-cut. Epidemiologist Dr. Larry Brilliant said he’s worried removing residency requirements will be less effective than distributing more doses to places that need them most: “It’s very hard to rationalize excess vaccine in places that neither want it nor will use it and not sending it to places that desperately need it.” The question of how federal supply should be distributed has been raised in the last week as Michigan, the country’s hardest-hit state, asks the Biden administration for a surge of vaccine doses (STAT, NYT).
Pfizer Requests FDA Authorization for Covid-19 Shot in Younger Teens
In light of phase 3 trial results showing their vaccine to be 100% effective in younger teens, Pfizer and BioNTech asked the Food and Drug Administration on Friday to clear the shot for emergency use in those aged 12-15 (Politico). This would make the Pfizer shot, which is the only vaccine in the U.S. authorized for 16- and 17-year-olds, the first to be cleared for even younger adolescents. Pfizer and BioNTech will request clearance for teens in other countries as well. Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech are running a trial for children as young as 6 months old, and Moderna, another major vaccine distributor in the U.S., is studying the shot in teens and kids.
J&J Distribution Falls After Recent Surge
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government has allotted just 700,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for next week, an 86% drop from this week (WSJ, NPR). This dip in percentage reflects the tail end of a boom in Johnson & Johnson distribution, after a manufacturing facility in Indiana received FDA authorization to release its stockpiled doses – the company will now return to sending out just the doses it is able to manufacture. Still, Johnson and Johnson distribution has been rocky; the company has faced manufacturing issues, including a recent factory mixup at an Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore. Jeff Zients, White House’s Covid-19 Response Coordinator, said Johnson and Johnson hasn’t hit its stride in the same way Moderna and Pfizer have: “They’re obviously earlier in their manufacturing process.” Zients said once the Baltimore facility gains FDA approval, which might happen by the end of April, Johnson & Johnson should be able to produce up to 8 million doses a week. The company has promised 100 million doses to the federal government by the end of May.
Covid-19 Vaccination Rates Soar Among Native American Tribes
Though Native American tribes were hit hard by Covid-19 at the start of the pandemic, many native communities now have vaccination rates higher than the national average, and deaths and case rates are falling quickly (WSJ). In native communities who chose to receive vaccinations through the Indian Health Service, 48% of patients have gotten at least one dose, and tens of thousands of others in native communities that opted to get vaccinated through state health departments have done so. Moreover, 12 of the 15 counties with the highest vaccination rates in the country are home to Indian reservations or Alaska Native populations that rely on IHS or tribal clinics. Experts trace this trend to the highly centralized nature of the IHS, as well as cultural attitudes – many native cultures place a strong emphasis on protecting elders, and some communities, like the Navajo Nation, have energetically taken on pro-vaccine messaging. “There aren’t a lot of people questioning vaccines in general,” said Jill Jim of the Navajo Department of Health.
Young Adults are Vaccine Confident, New U.S. Survey Finds
According to a recent survey of 808 college students conducted by the Generation Lab and commissioned by New America's Health Innovation Lab and the MIT Center for Constructive Communication to investigate attitudes and behaviors in young people during the pandemic, nearly 90% of college students said they probably or absolutely will get vaccinated. However, the respondents were still engaging in risky behavior: over half of those surveyed still planned to travel for spring break, against CDC recommendations. The survey also found that personal doctors (69%) and public health officials (55%) are the most trusted voices for college students (Axios). “Young people hold a key to achieving herd immunity in America to beat the virus, underscoring that educational initiatives must target their unique needs,” said Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, MD, former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General who serves as Public Health Director of Beat the Virus and the Health Innovations Lab at New America. "The pandemic is increasingly affecting young people who are experiencing a surge in new infections. While the survey reveals that the majority of students are willing to be vaccinated, there is hesitancy among specific groups that must be addressed.” The survey was done in conjunction with the launch of BeatTheVirus.org, an online resource created by New America's Health Innovation Lab and the MIT Center for Constructive Communication. Building on the successful “#Beatthevirus” social media campaign, which had over 600 million impressions of specifically developed content to promote the latest scientific knowledge via celebrity and other social media profiles, the resource hub is a one-stop shop for verified and factual public health data and resources, ensuring that critical information about the current COVID environment is easily accessible, searchable, and shareable.
Research Sheds Light on Rare AstraZeneca Side Effect
Two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine – one a German study of 11 patients, the other a Norwegian study of 5 patients – found that a rare, occasionally fatal blood clotting reaction to the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is most likely caused by a unique immune response (NYT, Nature). Both studies identified a type of antibody that activates platelets, a blood component that contributes to coagulation, in the blood of affected patients. These antibodies trigger a condition called thrombotic thrombocytopenia, characterized by either abnormal bleeding or clotting. It is unknown exactly what risk factors make an AstraZeneca recipient more susceptible to the rare side effect, or what causes the extreme immune response – and while most patients have been female, researchers aren’t sure how significant that is. Clotting does appear to be more common in younger people; many European countries have restricted use of the AstraZeneca shot to older populations. Dr. Andreas Greinacher, who authored the German paper, said despite these “tragic” and rare side effects, vaccination efforts must continue: “Not vaccinating will bring many, many more people with severe complications than vaccination.” The European Medicines agency is investigating four reported cases of similarly extreme blood clotting in recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (WSJ).
Vaccines Retain Efficacy Against California Variant, But South African Variant Proves More Worrying
A team led by researchers from Duke University found that two existing coronavirus vaccines are still fairly effective against CAL.20C, a coronavirus variant from California that is spreading quickly across the U.S. and has appeared in at least 25 other countries (NEJM, MedicalXpress). The variant has three spike protein mutations, which help it evade the immune system. Researchers tested the neutralizing power of antibodies from 14 previously infected people and 49 people vaccinated with either the Moderna or Novavax shot against CAL.20C. Convalescent serum was 3.1 times less effective against the California variant than it was against D614G, an older strain; similarly, the effectiveness of vaccination was reduced 2-fold for Moderna and 2.5-fold for Novavax. Despite these drops in efficacy, the results suggest that existing vaccines are potent enough against CAL.20C. "The good news is the California variant does not appear to be a problem for our current vaccines," said author David Montefiori of Duke University. "That's important to know because this variant is now as prevalent in the U.S. as the U.K. variant, both of which appear to be more contagious." The team speculated that results for the Pfizer vaccine would be similar to those for Moderna. Less reassuringly, the researchers found that B.1.351, a virulent South African strain, reduced the efficacy of convalescent serum 13.1-fold, Moderna 9.7-fold, and Novavax 14.5-fold.
Residential Colleges Across the Country Will Require Covid-19 Vaccines in the Fall
After Rutgers University announced in late March that it would require students to have a Covid-19 vaccine to return to campus in the fall, over a dozen other colleges have followed suit, with even more expected to do so (NPR). Institutions of higher education are no strangers to making vaccines mandatory; a survey found that the MMR vaccine, for example, was required at 87.5% of four-year institutions included in the poll. Most colleges and universities have the legal power to require vaccines – and many offer religious or medical exemptions. A Covid-19 vaccine mandate may face some legal stickiness until the shot is officially approved by the FDA, not just authorized for emergency use, which may happen as soon as the summer.
Bonus: “Scientists Work Towards an Elusive Dream: A Simple Pill to Treat Covid-19,” (STAT).
Around the World
Asia
China Says Its Vaccines Aren’t Very Good, Considers Mixing-and-Matching for More Protection but Later Reverses
In a rare admission of the weakness of Chinese coronavirus vaccines, the country’s top disease control officer, Gao Fu, admitted that their effectiveness is low during a conference on Saturday. Fu said the Chinese vaccines ““don’t have very high protection rates,” and that the government was now considering mixing vaccines in hopes of boosting efficacy rates (AP). “It’s now under formal consideration whether we should use different vaccines from different technical lines for the immunization process,” Gao said. He later said in an interview with state media that his comments were “completely misunderstood” (Reuters). Beijing has distributed hundreds of millions of doses of its vaccine abroad already.
Europe
Italy Worried the Mob Has Infiltrated Vaccine Campaign
Lawmakers in Italy are concerned that the Italian mafia is diverting vaccines away from the elderly and vulnerable, according to a report by Politico. The Italian parliament’s anti-mafia commission is investigating whether crime syndicates are redirecting vaccines away from the prioritized populations in order to vaccinate their friends and family by classifying them as health care workers. The problem is particularly bad in the south of the country, where the mafia has some control over health authorities. It’s just one issue that could be contributing to the continuation of the high death rate, along with younger people jumping the line to get vaccinated. Last Thursday, Prime Minister Mario Draghi complained during a press conference, saying, “With what conscience does someone jump the queue, knowing that it leaves another person vulnerable, who is more than 65 years old or is fragile, and who has a concrete risk of death?”
Bonus Read: “‘You Can’t Trust Anyone’: Russia’s Hidden Covid Toll Is an Open Secret” (NYT).
Americas
Chile Defends Use of Sinovac Vaccine After Chinese Official’s Comments
On Sunday Chilean officials defended the country’s use of the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese firm Sinovac after China’s top official appeared to make conflicting statements about its efficacy (Reuters). On Sunday, Chilean science minister Andres Couve said it was important to focus on the data and the vaccine’s effectiveness in reducing illness that required medical treatment or being hospitalized or dying, which it achieved in the Brazilian study in 83.7% and 100% of cases respectively. According to Reuters, “The COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac was found to be just over 50% effective in reducing infection in Brazilian clinical trials. A real-world study of vaccination and contagion data by the University of Chile suggested last week the vaccine was 54% effective in reducing infection. Chile paid $3.5 million to host a clinical trial of the vaccine and has also ordered 60 million doses to be administered to its 18 million-strong population over three years.” So far, Chile has largely relied on the Sinovac vaccine, along with smaller numbers of Pfizer’s equivalent drug, to roll out one of the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns, inoculating 4.6 million people with two doses and 7.2 million with one.
Ecuador, Peru Head to Polls Amid Resurgence of Virus
Ecuador and Peru were both voting for new presidents on Sunday under strict public health measures due to the coronavirus pandemic. The elections come amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in both countries and slow or non-existent progress in the vaccination programs. According to the AP, “Ecuadoreans face a runoff between a conservative businessman and a protégé of former leftist President Rafael Correa, while Peruvians have 18 options to pick from in the first round. All seats in Peru’s congress, too, are being contested.” In Ecuador, voters must wear masks, bring their own hand sanitizer and pencil, and practice social distancing. In Peru, officials have scheduled specific times for people to vote in hopes of avoiding overcrowding at the polling stations. Voters must wear masks, submit to temperature checks, and bring their own pens. Poll workers are being paid for the first time ever.
U.S. Government & Politics
Supreme Court Strikes Down More Restrictions on Religious Gatherings
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked California’s regulations restricting religious gatherings as part of its response to the pandemic (WaPo). The court said in a 5 to 4 ruling that the restrictions violated constitutional rights. The Washington Post writes, “The 5-to-4 order on an emergency petition illustrates how a new majority on the court — with Justice Amy Coney Barrett playing a decisive role — is now in control when the court considers if pandemic-related restrictions cross the line to endanger religious rights.” The majority wrote, “It is no answer that a state treats some comparable secular businesses or other activities as poorly as or even less favorably than the religious exercise at issue.” The Post writes, “The opinion was unsigned, but the majority was composed of Barrett and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. indicated the court should not have granted the emergency petition challenging the restrictions but did not explain his reasoning. Justice Elena Kagan wrote a biting dissent for the court’s liberals.”
Biden Taps California Workplace Safety Chief to Head OSHA
On Friday, the White House announced that President Biden has nominated Doug Parker, California’s workplace safety chief to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Politico). As Politico notes, “The role has taken on outsize importance amid the pandemic and as the administration is weighing whether to issue an emergency temporary standard to create a set of enforceable, Covid-19-related workplace safety regulations.”
U.S. Economy
Bonus Read: “Amazon Vote Deals Blow to Expanding Labor Union Membership,” (WSJ).
200,000 Sailors, Globally, Stuck at Sea Amid Pandemic
According to the International Maritime Association, 200,000 merchant sailors are still stuck at sea amid the pandemic (WaPo). The Washington Post writes, “Roughly 400,000 seafarers were stranded on ships around the globe at the peak of the “crew-change crisis” in late 2020, according to the International Maritime Organization; now, about 200,000 are stuck. Some have been at sea for as long as 20 months, though 11 months is the maximum time allowed by the IMO. The situation threatens to grow more dire in the coming months, industry experts say, as mariners desperately try to access coronavirus vaccines, their situation complicated by a web of complex logistics and workplaces often situated thousands of miles offshore.” Industry figures told the Post of mental health issues and significant injuries as a result of the crisis. The situation persists as the industry wrestles with high demand and a lack of staff
U.S. Society
Bonus Read: “Ten Signs Things Are Getting Back to Normal, From ‘Friends’ to Full Middle Seats,” (WSJ).
Nearly 40% of Marines Refusing Vaccines
CNN reports that data provided by the Marines shows that nearly 40% of Marines are refusing vaccination for coronavirus (CNN). The Marines are the first branch to disclose data on vaccination refusal according to CNN. CNN writes, “The declination rate at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, one of the prominent Marine Corps bases, was far higher, at 57%, according to another set of data provided to CNN. Of 26,400 Marines who have been offered vaccinations, 15,100 have chosen not to receive them, a number that includes both II Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Installation East -- Camp Lejeune. Another 11,500 active-duty Marines are scheduled to be offered the vaccines.” Marine Corps spokeswoman Col. Kelly Frushour, stated, “We fully understand that widespread acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine provides us with the best means to defeat the pandemic. The key to addressing the pandemic is building vaccine confidence.” For the time being the military cannot mandate vaccination as the vaccines are approved only on an emergency basis. However, once fully approved, the military is allowed to require vaccinations.
Analysis & Arguments
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