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April 7, 2021 - Brief Issue 179
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
Biden Bumps Up Universal Vaccine Eligibility to April 19 (Health & Science)
Vaccine Manufacturers Address SARS-CoV-2 Variants (Health & Science)
Europe Continues to Investigate Rare Blood Clotting Side Effect of AstraZeneca Vaccine; University of Oxford Pauses Study in Kids (Health & Science)
Emergent Responds to J&J Mix-Up in Baltimore (Health & Science)
EU Misses Vaccine Goal in First Quarter, Some Leaders Try to Acquire Sputnik V (Around the World)
EU Denies Blocking Vaccine Exports to Australia (Around the World)
North Korea Will Skip the Olympics (Around the World)
Brazil Covid-19 Deaths on Track to Pass Worst U.S. Wave (Around the World)
California Plans to Reopen Economy by June 15 (U.S. Government & Politics)
Millions Waiting on Stimulus Support (U.S. Economy)
Prisoners Lack Vaccine Access Amid Vaccine Rollout (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 30,847,737 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 556,529 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has conducted 400,866,033 tests and distributed 219,194,215 vaccine doses, with 168,592,075 doses administered (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 132,534,877 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 2,875,876 deaths. At least 75,291,700 people have recovered from the virus.
Biden Bumps Up Universal Vaccine Eligibility to April 19
President Biden announced Tuesday that he would move the target for states to make all adults eligible for a coronavirus vaccine to April 19, replacing his initial target of making 90% of adults eligible by April 19 and 100% by May 1 (NYT, WSJ, CNN, Reuters, WaPo). Every state but Hawaii has said it will meet or exceed this deadline. Maryland made all adults 16 and up eligible at its mass vaccination sites on Tuesday; D.C. will follow suit on April 19 (WaPo). About 19% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and 32% has had at least one dose. In some places, supply lags behind demand, though drug manufacturer Catalent is expected to increase the U.S.’s supply of the Moderna shot by ramping up production.
The President recently doubled his vaccination goal for his first 100 days in office, or January through the end of April, from 100 million shots in arms to 200 million. That number has so far passed 150 million. Biden said he is optimistic that eventually, the U.S. will be able to offer excess vaccines to other countries: “we’re going to start giving the vaccines around the world to poor countries.” He also emphasized the importance of Americans remaining on guard against Covid-19. “We have to ramp up a whole of government approach that rallies the whole country and puts us on a war footing to truly beat this virus.”
Vaccine Manufacturers Address SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Biotech company Moderna, whose coronavirus vaccine is currently authorized for emergency use in the United States, has launched a clinical trial of a new-variant specific vaccine, which targets the spike protein mutations of the South African coronavirus variant, B.1.351 (NIH). This new shot will be tested on adults who received the original Moderna vaccine and on previously vaccinated adults. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the vaccines already in use in the U.S. appear to offer “an adequate degree” of protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants, but “out of an abundance of caution, NIAID has continued its partnership with Moderna to evaluate this variant vaccine candidate should there be a need for an updated vaccine.”
Both Moderna and Pfizer recently published interim Phase 3 trial results suggesting their vaccines offer protection against Covid-19 for at least six months, with Moderna reporting a prevention rate of 94% and Pfizer reporting 91.3% (NEJM, Pfizer, CNN). Pfizer said its trial had 100% efficacy in South Africa, where the B.1.351 variant is widely circulating. The company also announced that its shot is effective in adolescents (STAT). Research into variant-specific protection and the duration of protection is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research began a clinical trial on Tuesday of its nanoparticle vaccine, whose ferritin platform provides a unique, multi-faced structure (MedicalXpress). This helps introduce the coronavirus to the immune system repeatedly, which scientists hope will offer more robust immune defenses as new variants emerge.
Europe Continues to Investigate Rare Blood Clotting Side Effect of AstraZeneca Vaccine; University of Oxford Pauses Study in Kids
The European Medicines Agency said Tuesday that while its investigation is ongoing, with more results to come out Wednesday or Thursday, there is a clear link between the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and rare blood clotting side effects (Reuters, WaPo). Several European countries, including France, the Netherlands, and Germany, have suspended use of the shot in younger populations, as there have been higher rates of rare brain clots in countries that first administered the vaccine among younger people. However, Marco Cavaleri, head of EMA’s vaccine evaluation team, said the organization is unlikely to make any suggestions regarding patient age and blood clotting risk.
These brain clots appear to be extremely uncommon, with about 4.6 cases occurring per 1 million AstraZeneca shots administered in the European Union. Some research groups suspect that the clotting may stem from an overactive immune response; scientists are scrambling to figure out whether age, sex, or other medications like birth control make an AstraZeneca recipient more likely to experience the side effect. Health authorities such as the World Health Organization maintain that the benefits of vaccination outweigh potential risk.
On Tuesday, the University of Oxford paused a United Kingdom trial testing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in children while it seeks more data and governmental guidance on the blood clotting issue (Reuters). Oxford said it had not identified any safety issues in the trial but is awaiting guidance from the United Kingdom government. Also on Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it expects to continue its assessment that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
Emergent Responds to J&J Mix-Up in Baltimore
On Sunday, days after a Baltimore facility run by Emergent BioSolutions was found to have botched 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, President Biden announced that Johnson & Johnson would fully take over production there (NYT, NPR). The facility was producing ingredients for both the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but a mix-up last week compromised a large batch of doses. The Department of Health and Human services is now assisting Emergent in ramping down AstraZeneca production and Johnson & Johnson said it would be sending more personnel to the manufacturing site. “Emergent’s top priority continues to be the strengthening of the supply chain for Johnson & Johnson’s vitally needed Covid-19 vaccine,” said Robert Kramer, Emergent’s chief executive. “We have been working closely with Johnson & Johnson and welcome the additional oversight and support at our Bayview facility.” Audits have uncovered other major oversights in the Baltimore plant; none of Emergent’s doses have actually been usable yet, because the facility still requires regulator approval to distribute vaccines to the public (NYT).
Unclear Whether Spikes in Covid-19 Cases Foreshadow a Fourth Wave
Although the U.S. administered a record 4 million vaccinations on Saturday, new reported cases have risen 19% on average over the past two weeks (NYT). Experts disagree as to whether this portends a “fourth wave” of the Covid-19 pandemic. Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, who serves on Biden’s Covid-19 advisory board, said on Sunday morning that the next two weeks would bring “the highest number of cases reported globally since the beginning of the pandemic.” The same morning, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA director under President Trump, said the current increase in cases would not amount to a fourth wave. Regional and international coronavirus variants have been driving spikes across the U.S., particularly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest (NYT).
Healthcare Workers Report Stress, Burnout Amidst Pandemic
A nationwide poll from the Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation found that 62% of healthcare workers said Covid-19-related stress has worsened their mental health, with higher levels of stress reported among younger survey participants (WaPo). Of the 1,300 front-line workers interviewed, 55% feel “burnt out” from work, and almost half are experiencing sleep issues due to stress. The biggest stressors reported by these front-line healthcare workers were fear of infection for themselves, loved ones, or patients, constantly wearing PPE, ever-evolving rules and regulations, and feeling overworked. Still, the survey participants were optimistic; 76% said they feel “hopeful” going into their jobs.
Bonus Reads: “After the WHO Report: What’s Next in the Search for COVID’s Origins,” (Nature); “‘Love Your Neighbor’ and Get the Shot: White Evangelical Leaders Push COVID Vaccines,” (NPR).
Around the World
Europe
EU Misses Vaccine Goal in First Quarter, Some Leaders Try to Acquire Sputnik V
The European Union has failed to meet a goal for all countries to vaccinate 80% of the people over the age of 80 (Politico). So far, only five EU countries have met that milestone, which was set out by the European Commission, and only a few of those reporting have vaccinated 80% of their health and social care workers, another goal decided by the Commission. The missed target is just confirmation of what many Europeans already know: the vaccination campaign is slow to nonexistent in many places. The Commission says that vaccine deliveries will increase in the coming months and countries that have had the slowest rollouts, like Belgium and France, have promised to speed up their campaigns. The Commission’s next target is vaccinating 70% of the adult population by the end of the summer.
Leaders across the EU are getting impatient with the beleaguered vaccine rollout and some are taking matters into their own hands. As we’ve covered previously, Hungary struck a deal with Russia to acquire the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine ahead of approval by the European Medicines Agency. Now, the head of the Spanish region of Madrid has also attempted to make a deal with Russia for the Sputnik V shots. According to Spanish daily ABC, the president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, asked regional health counselor Enrique Ruiz-Escudero to engage in several rounds of talks with Sputnik V distributors, a move not in line with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's vaccine rollout plan. “It wouldn’t be the first, nor the fifth, nor the 10th time that Madrid has been ahead of the Spanish government in terms of seeking out all possible ways to fight against the virus,” said Ayuso, who has made her opposition to Sánchez a central pillar of her campaign ahead of May 4 elections in the capital region, according to Politico.
EU Denies Blocking Vaccine Exports to Australia
On Tuesday the European Union denied blocking shipments of 3.1 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine even as the bloc stepped up scrutiny of vaccine exports in hopes of overcoming current shortages. An Australian government source told Reuters that the EU had blocked 3.1 million shots that were to be exported to the country, which now has little hope of getting the remaining 400,000 doses it had been promised on time. “We cannot confirm any new decision to block vaccine exports to Australia or to any other country,” a European Commission spokesman told a news conference. According to Reuters, “A Commission spokeswoman said the bloc had rejected only one of 491 COVID-19 vaccine export requests since it enhanced export transparency in late January, but added that seven requests were currently being reviewed - and therefore shipments were on hold until a decision was made.” The EU has said that AstraZeneca might not be allowed to export vaccines from the EU until it fulfills its contractual obligations towards the bloc.
Serbia’s Leader Vaccinated with Chinese-Made Shot
Serbian President Aleksander Vucic received the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday during a live TV broadcast (AP). He chose to get the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine even though some experts have recommended that a third shot of the Chinese vaccine may be required because two doses don’t appear to provide enough protection. “I received the vaccine, and I feel great,” Vucic said on his Instagram page. “Thank you our great health workers. Thank you our Chinese brothers.” The president has promised for months to get vaccinated but has put it off multiple times, prompting speculation that he is afraid of needles or that he had secretly been vaccinated months ago. Serbia has one of the highest Covid-19 inoculation rates in Europe thanks in large part to the government’s purchases of the Sinopharm vaccine. The government is also using the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
Asia and Pacific
North Korea Will Skip the Olympics
North Korea said on Tuesday that it would not be participating in the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic (NYT). The decision, which was made at a March 25 meeting of the Olympic Committee, is meant to “protect our athletes from the global health crisis caused by the malicious virus infection,” according to Sports in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a government-run website. It will be the first Summer Olympics North Korea has missed since 1988, when they were held in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea officially maintains that it has not had any coronavirus cases, but outside experts are skeptical that this is true.
China Uses Free Ice Cream and Threats to Lure People to Get Vaccinated
China is using a variety of tactics to convince people to get vaccinated in order to reach the government’s goal of vaccinating 40% of its population -- about 560 million people -- by the end of June (NYT). The New York Times reported, “In Beijing, the vaccinated qualify for buy-one-get-one-free ice cream cones. In the northern province of Gansu, a county government published a 20-stanza poem extolling the virtues of the jab. In the southern town of Wancheng, officials warned parents that if they refused to get vaccinated, their children’s schooling and future employment and housing were all at risk.” It seems the heavy-handed approach is working, with China administering an average of about 4.8 million doses a day. Experts said they hope to reach 10 million a day in order to reach the June goal.
Australia and New Zealand Create Travel Bubble
On Tuesday New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacidna Ardern announced that her country is establishing a travel bubble with Australia that would allow travelers to move between the two nations without needing to quarantine (NYT). The bubble will open just before midnight on April 19 and officials hope that it will boost the tourism industry as well as reunite families that have been separated since the pandemic began. “The director general of health considers the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from Australia to New Zealand is low and that quarantine-free travel is safe to commence,” Ms. Ardern said at a news conference. It is ultimately a change of scene that so many have been looking for,” Ms. Ardern said, addressing Australians. “You may not have been in long periods of lockdown, but you haven’t had the option. Now you have the option, come and see us.” The bubble between the two countries is the first in the world.
Indian Capital Enters ‘Critical’ Four Weeks in Covid Fight
New Delhi imposed a night-time curfew until April 30 as the country struggles to contain a surge in coronavirus infections that has surpassed the first wave. According to senior government health official Vinod Kumar Paul, “The pandemic has worsened in the country...There is a serious rise in cases,” and the next four weeks will be “very, very critical” to India’s fight against the virus (Reuters). India has administered 80.9 million vaccine doses, the most after the U.S. and China, but it lags behind in terms of immunizations per capita. Delhi’s restrictions echo those in Maharashtra, the hardest-hit state where Mumbai is located.
Americas
Brazil Covid-19 Deaths on Track to Pass Worst U.S. Wave
Brazil’s surge in Covid-19 deaths is on track to pass the worst of the January wave in the United States, scientists are forecasting, with fatalities climbing for the first time above 4,000 in a day on Tuesday (Reuters). The total death toll is the second highest in the world, behind only the United States, with nearly 337,000 deaths. Brazil’s hospitals are overwhelmed and the healthcare system is at the breaking point as more contagious variants circulate. “It’s a nuclear reactor that has set off a chain reaction and is out of control. It’s a biological Fukushima,” said Miguel Nicolelis, a Brazilian doctor and professor at Duke University, who is closely tracking the virus.
Bonus Read: “Covid-19 Shut Schools Across Latin America, and Children Joined Gangs,” (WSJ).
U.S. Government & Politics
California Plans to Reopen Economy by June 15
On Tuesday, California officials announced that the state plans to fully reopen its economy by June 15, assuming trends in vaccination and cases remain favorable (Politico). California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom stated, “With more than 20 million vaccines administered across the state, it is time to turn the page on our tier system and begin looking to fully reopen California’s economy.” California’s Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly stated, “We are really signaling that the blueprint, as it's devised now, will no longer be in effect after June 15.” The state will maintain its mask mandate with no current plans to terminate it and will also continue to restrict events with more than 5,000 people through October 1.
Vaccine Passport Proposals Draw Pushback
As proposals for vaccine passports, documentation of proof of vaccination allowing participation in particular activities, circulate, the concept is drawing pushback from Republican governors and others. On Tuesday, Texas’ Republican Governor Greg Abbott shared a copy of an executive order that bans the use of vaccine passports in the state (WaPo). In a statement, Abbott said, “these vaccines are always voluntary and never forced.” Mississippi’s Republican Governor Tate Reeves told CNN on Sunday “I don’t think it’s necessary, and I don’t think it’s a good thing to do in America” when asked about vaccine passport proposals. (NYT). Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has also issued an executive order prohibiting businesses from requiring proof of vaccination. Vaccine passports have also drawn criticism from Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, who commented, “It’s impractical,” adding, “This is a nation that does not allow a national identity card. Getting compliance is going to be hard, and I think it leads to politicization. I would like to avoid that” (STAT). White House officials have said that they will not push a mandatory vaccine credential. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki stated, “The government is not now nor will we be supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential,” adding, “There will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential” (Politico).
U.S. Economy
Millions Waiting on Stimulus Support
Despite the passage of the Covid stimulus and relief bill, millions of Americans are still waiting on support set to be provided as part of the bill, the Washington Post reports (WaPo). The Post writes, “Interviews with dozens of researchers and Americans still waiting for aid reveal ongoing problems with disbursing the $1,400 stimulus payments, processing 2020 tax refunds, administering unemployment insurance checks and dispensing housing aid to people behind on rent and utilities. As the Biden administration vows to deliver a more equal economic recovery, one of its biggest challenges is getting money into the hands of people who are still jobless or underemployed so they don’t fall further behind.” The Post notes, “One of the areas with clear glitches is the disbursement of the latest round of stimulus payments. About 30 million Americans who should have automatically received the $1,400 payments are still waiting, more than three weeks after Biden signed the $1.9 trillion relief package, according to the House Ways and Means Committee. These people do not normally file tax returns because their income is so low that they don’t usually need to.” Research by economist Eliza Forsythe has also found that only 41% of those without jobs are receiving unemployment aid. Forsythe stated, “There’s a glaring hole in the unemployment system where we are trying really hard to get money to people who really need it, but we’re not able to do it.”
U.S. Society
Prisoners Lack Vaccine Access Amid Vaccine Rollout
As the United States continues to roll out vaccines to an increasingly large eligible population, prisoners continue to lack access to vaccination efforts (AP). For example, the AP reports, “Florida expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 16 and older. But across the state, more than 70,000 people still don’t have access to the vaccine. Those men and women are Florida state prisoners.” The AP writes, “Nationwide, less than 20% of state and federal prisoners have been vaccinated, according to data collected by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press.” Even when prisoners are eligible, they face hurdles in accessing vaccination. As we have covered in prior briefs since the beginning of the pandemic, prisons have often been hotspots for Covid-29 infections. According to the AP, “Since the pandemic first reached prisons in March 2020, about 3 in 10 prisoners have tested positive and 2,500 have died. Prisons are often overcrowded, with limited access to health care and protective gear, and populations inside are more likely to have pre-existing medical conditions.”
Calls Grow to Maintain Loosened Regulations After Pandemic Ebbs
The Wall Street Journal reports that there are growing calls for states and localities to maintain loosened regulations adopted during the pandemic on things from take-home cocktails to telemedicine even as the pandemic shows signs that it may ebb with growing vaccination (WSJ). The Journal writes, “Across the country, state and local governments have temporarily eased hundreds of regulations during the pandemic, aiming to help consumers social distance and businesses avoid economic disaster. Now, some want to abandon them for good. Lawmakers in Texas and at least 19 other states that let bars and restaurants sell to-go cocktails during the pandemic are moving to make those allowances permanent. Many states that made it easier for healthcare providers to work across state lines are considering bills to indefinitely ease interstate licensing rules. Lawmakers in Washington are pushing for Medicare to extend its policy of reimbursing for certain telehealth visits. States also are trying to lock in pandemic rules that spawned new online services, from document notarization to marijuana sales.” The Journal notes that many of these calls have received bipartisan support beyond Republicans traditionally averse to regulation.
Bonus Read: “Your Pandemic Haircut Is a Hot Mess. Your Barber Is Thrilled,” (WSJ).
Analysis & Arguments
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The Brief is edited by David Sterman and Emily Schneider with Senior Editor Peter Bergen.
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