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June 8, 2021 - Brief Issue 209
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
Early Results From U.K. Study Highlight the Alpha Variant’s Ability to Evade Immune System (Health & Science)
Upcoming G-7 Summit Raises Questions of Vaccine Equity (Health & Science)
U.S. Might Fall Short of Biden’s July 4 Goal if Vaccination Rates Continue to Stall (Health & Science)
Long-Term NIH Study to Investigate Booster Shot Regimens for Covid-19 (Health & Science)
Variant in U.K. Continues to Spread, Further Reopening Could be Delayed (Around the World)
Uganda Enters Lockdown as Cases Surge Among Young People (Around the World)
Global Carbon Dioxide Levels at Historic Levels Despite Pandemic (Around the World)
May 2020 Classified Report Shows Early Support for Lab Leak (U.S. Government & Politics)
States To Begin Cutting Unemployment Benefits This Week (U.S. Economy)
Washington State To Permit Free Cannabis For Vaccinations (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 33,378,143 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 597,952 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 371,520,735 vaccine doses, with 51.6% of Americans having received their first vaccine dose and 42.1% fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 173,638,512 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 3,737,406 deaths.
Early Results From U.K. Study Highlight the Alpha Variant’s Ability to Evade Immune System
According to a preprint of a study from the University College London, the Alpha coronavirus variant – first identified in the U.K and also known as B.1.1.7 – evades some of the body’s first-line immune defenses, meaning it might replicate faster and cause longer-lasting infection (NYT). Virologist Gregory Towers and colleagues grew coronaviruses in human lung cells, comparing Alpha-infected cells to those infected with earlier strains of the virus. Lung cells infected with Alpha made less interferon, a protein that triggers an immune response. Plus, immunity-boosting genes were far less expressed in these cells. “It’s very impressive,” said Dr. Maudry Laurent-Rolle, a virologist at the Yale School of Medicine. “Any successful virus has to get beyond that first defense system. The more successful it is at doing that, the better off the virus is.” The authors of the study wrote that while much research has focused on the coronavirus’ spike protein, a wide range of mutations, including those outside of the spike region, contribute to Alpha’s stealthiness.
Upcoming G-7 Summit Raises Questions of Vaccine Equity
As Friday’s Group of Seven summit approaches, pressure is mounting for the G-7 leaders – representing Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the U.K., and the U.S. – to donate excess coronavirus vaccine supply to less wealthy nations (WSJ, WaPo). Countries like India that have been hard-hit by the pandemic but suffer from low vaccine supply are expected to use the upcoming summit to lobby for more support. “This is the most important G-7 in history, because this one can dictate how fast we can get out of this pandemic, and whether we save trillions of dollars and millions of lives,” said Bruce Aylward, senior adviser to the director general of the World Health Organization.
A letter signed by 200 global figures, addressed to G-7 leaders, encourages dose sharing and the loosening of vaccine patent and licensing agreements to tackle vaccine inequality. Moreover, a proposal drafted by the International Monetary Fund and backed by several global organizations, including the WHO, urges rich countries to supply poorer countries with 250 million doses this summer. According to the IMF, these countries could donate an additional 750 million doses over the course of the year without hindering their own vaccine rollouts.
WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that although total Covid-19 cases are falling globally, countries with low vaccination rates face rising death counts (NYT). In what Tedros described as a “two-track pandemic,” 44% of the world’s vaccine supply has gone to high-income countries, compared to the 0.4% administered in lower-income nations.
U.S. Might Fall Short of Biden’s July 4 Goal if Vaccination Rates Continue to Stall
Flagging coronavirus vaccination rates are threatening President Biden’s goal of having 70% of U.S. adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4 (WaPo). Fewer than 1 million shots are being administered daily, compared to the peak of 3.4 million a day in April. The pace of vaccination is particularly sluggish in parts of the Midwest and South; by contrast, thirteen states, most of them coastal, have already vaccinated 70% of their adult populations. Overall, 52.8% of U.S. adults are vaccinated (NPR). Chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said those excited to get the vaccine, the “low-hanging fruit,” have already gotten the shot: “You’re left with a group that you may need … trusted messengers who go out there and explain to them why it’s critical for themselves, for their family.” Experts are concerned about pockets of the South with low vaccination rates, fearing that loosening restrictions and hot weather – which forces people indoors – could lead to a summer surge in Covid-19 cases (NYT). Local vaccination campaigns and the White House’s “month of action” vaccination initiatives are pushing to keep the country on track for Biden’s July 4 goal.
Hospital Closures During Covid-19 Pandemic Disproportionately Affected Rural Black Americans, An Already At-Risk Demographic
The Covid-19 crisis forced many rural hospitals to close, limiting access to medical treatment in remote areas and exacerbating already existing racial disparities in health care (STAT). A record 19 rural hospitals closed in 2020 as the pandemic tested strained resources. Experts fear deteriorating public health and population decline in rural America will feed into this trend, even as the threat of Covid-19 fades. The closure of rural hospitals had direct health effects during the pandemic; Covid-19 deaths were 37% higher in counties where hospitals shut down, compared to statewide rates. This phenomenon had an outsize impact on rural Black communities: “At every step in the pipeline, hospitals with a larger footprint in the African American community are more likely to shut,” said Mark Holmes of the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, both people of color and rural Americans already face health disparities that elevate their risk of experiencing negative outcomes from Covid-19. Meanwhile, vaccination initiatives, including a door-to-door campaign in rural Randolph County, Georgia, a majority-Black and low-income part of the state, are working to address barriers to vaccine access (CNN).
Long-Term NIH Study to Investigate Booster Shot Regimens for Covid-19
The National Institutes of Health are launching a Phase I/II clinical trial studying different “booster shot” regimens in people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus (NIH, GEN). Because the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines may fade over time, especially as new variants emerge, experts believe follow-up shots to boost immunity will be necessary. “Although the vaccines currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offer strong protection against Covid-19, we need to prepare for the possibility of needing booster shots to counter waning immunity and to keep pace with an evolving virus,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, which is leading the study.
The trial will include people already fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with one of the FDA-approved vaccine regimens – Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, or Moderna. There will be 50 people in each of these three groups, covering a wide range of ages. There will also be a group of not-yet-vaccinated individuals who will be given the Moderna regimen. Between 12 and 20 weeks after initial vaccination, all participants will receive a booster shot of the Moderna vaccine; researchers will monitor the participants’ immunity to the coronavirus for a year following the booster, testing blood samples against different variants. “The results of this trial are intended to inform public health policy decisions on the potential use of mixed vaccine schedules should booster doses be indicated,” Fauci explained. Participants may be added to the study if the researchers decide to test variant-specific booster doses.
Bonus Read: “Scientists Begin to Unravel the Mysteries of the Coronavirus and Brains,” (WaPo).
Around the World
Variant in U.K. Continues to Spread, Further Reopening Could be Delayed
Covid-19 has retreated more quickly in Britain than in other countries, thanks in large part to the aggressive vaccination campaign and helped by a late-stage lockdown last year. Fewer than 10 Britons per day have died in recent weeks, down from 1,200 a day in late January (NYT). But despite the country’s successful vaccination program, Covid-19 cases continue to rise as the Delta variant, first detected in India, spreads quickly. New Covid cases have more than doubled over the past month, to more than 4,000 a day from about 2,000 a day. The continued uptick in cases is probably due to the fact that the Delta variant is thought to be more contagious than the original strain and the reopening of society across the country. Now, the Times of London is reporting that Prime Minister Boris Johnson could be forced to delay the loosening of social distancing requirements currently scheduled for June 21. Citing an anonymous government source, the Times reported that a delay of “between two weeks and a month” was likely after top health officials gave a ministerial briefing Monday that was described as “fairly grim.” “They emphasised again that the vaccine did not provide 100 percent protection and there were real concerns about the transmissibility of the new variants,” the source told the newspaper. As the New York Times writes, “The increase is a reminder that progress against the pandemic — even extreme progress — does not equal ultimate victory. Britain’s experience also suggests that cases may soon rise in the United States.”
Uganda Enters Lockdown as Cases Surge Among Young People
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni announced on Sunday that all schools and universities would close for 42 days starting Monday and suspended all public gatherings and prayers in mosques and churches (NYT). He also shut down public transportation between and across districts for 42 days starting Thursday. Private gatherings are also banned. The East African nation recorded 1,259 cases on June 4, its highest number in a single day since the pandemic began and authorities reported long lines at hospitals. Museveni said the most recent wave was affecting people between the ages of 20 and 39 and there were more cases among those august 10 to 19. “We are concerned that this will exhaust the available bed space and oxygen supply in hospitals, unless we constitute urgent public health measures,” Mr. Museveni said in his speech. Uganda has so far inoculated just over 748,000 people.
Global Carbon Dioxide Levels at Historic Levels Despite Pandemic
Even though economies around the world slowed down drastically for 15 months over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, and while that led to a surprising drop in global greenhouse gas emissions, it did not relieve the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. On Monday scientists announced that carbon dioxide had reached the highest levels since accurate measurements began 63 years ago (WaPo). “Fossil fuel burning is really at the heart of this. If we don’t tackle fossil fuel burning, the problem is not going to go away,” Ralph Keeling, a geochemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said in an interview, adding that the world ultimately will have to make emissions cuts that are “much larger and sustained” than anything that happened during the pandemic.
Spain Reopens Borders to Tourists
Spain began its summer holiday season on Monday by opening borders to vaccinated visitors from most countries, including the U.S., and European tourists who can show a negative coronavirus test. It also reopened its ports to cruise ships. Tourists from outside the European Union have been banned since March of last year when the pandemic began. Spain is still banning nonessential travel from Brazil, India, and South Africa, where virus variants have been a major concern (AP).
U.S. Government & Politics
May 2020 Classified Report Shows Early Support for Lab Leak
A classified report from May 2020 exploring the possibility of a lab leak surfaced on Wednesday. The report, which was drafted at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, concluded it was possible that the coronavirus leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology prior to the pandemic, people familiar with the document told both the Wall Street Journal and CNN.
The sources also told the media that the report said it was likely possible the coronavirus originated in the wild, which is the leading theory within both the global scientific and U.S. intelligence communities. But the mere possibility of a lab leak, which was promoted by former President Donald Trump and continues to be popular within the conservative movement, has taken on tremendous political dimensions in the U.S. "I think a lot of us think various oversight committees probably should have been made aware of [the report] a little bit sooner," Representative Morgan Griffith, a Republican from Virginia who sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told CNN.
While the lab leak theory among scientists has always been widely considered a possible but unlikely origin of the pandemic, it has gained renewed legitimacy in recent weeks amid revelations from the U.S. intelligence community.
Classified documents have emerged in recent months stating that three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology studying coronaviruses became sick in the autumn of 2019, leading to speculation that they had contracted the virus prior to the pandemic’s known start. President Joe Biden confirmed last month that the U.S. intelligence community was treating the lab leak theory as a plausible scenario (CNN).
U.S. Economy
States To Begin Cutting Unemployment Benefits This Week
The first four of 25 states that have vowed an early end to the federally funded $300 a week unemployment benefit will begin the cut this week. The benefit, which started last September, was intended to provide a lifeline to people put out of work by the pandemic. Under the American Rescue Plan, funding for the aid will continue until September 6.
The Republican governors of 25 states, however, have decided to end the payments early, citing improved public health conditions. They have also blamed hiring difficulties within the private sector on the weekly cheques as employers struggle to entice low wage earners in particular back to work. Around four million workers throughout all 25 states will be affected. Mississippi will be the first to cut off funding this week, creating anxiety among the beneficiaries of the program. Nicole Jones of Jackson told NPR that she is afraid of returning to work at her old job at Head Start.
"I have a mortgage. I have a car note. I have light bill, gas bill, water bill, internet bill," said Jones who, like the majority of Mississippians, has not yet been vaccinated. ”I think it's really unfair that they are taking that away from households that are not able to get back to work right now.” Governor Tate Reeves told reporters last month that the time has come for workers to return to the labor market.
"If you go around anywhere in our state and you talk to small-business owners, you talk to large-business owners, you talk to employees, you talk to consumers — what you hear repeatedly is that it's very difficult to find people to work," Reeves told reporters last month.
Alaska, Iowa and Missouri will also end the benefits later this week.
Arizona is maintaining some of the enhanced benefits for the time being while cutting the $300 weekly payments. Amy Cabrera, who lives outside Phoenix, will be left with $214 a week once the state implements the cuts.
“I couldn't even tell you what else I could possibly cut out," said Cabrera, who used to work as an auditor for a meeting and travel company. "I mean, I don't go anywhere. I don't do anything. I actually took on a roommate, and I'm 46 years old. That's not an easy task to bring on some stranger into your house when you're used to living the way you live” (NPR).
Bonus Read: “GOP Governors Are Cutting Unemployment Aid. Some Have Ties To Businesses That May Benefit,” (WaPo).
U.S. Society
Washington State To Permit Free Cannabis For Vaccinations
Washington state’s cannabis control board has authorized retailers to offer free recreational marijuana to recipients of coronavirus vaccinations in the “Joints for Jabs” initiative. The program, announced Monday, will permit licensed pot shops to provide joints to people aged 21 or older receiving doses at on-site clinics. The stores will be limited to one pre-rolled marijuana cigarette per person until the program ends on July 12 (The Hill).
Similar initiatives have been offered by stores and groups in other states. An Arizona chain retailer has been offering both a free joint and cannabis gummy to its vaccinated customers in its “Snax for Vaxx” offer, while a group in New York handed out free joints in Union Square Park on April 20 to people who could present official immunization cards (AZCentral, NBC).
Unvaccinated Staff Protest At Houston Hospital
Dozens of staff at a Houston hospital refusing to take coronavirus vaccinations protested Monday evening at the campus, hours before an immunization deadline imposed by their employers. The demonstration came as Houston Methodist told employees that they would have to receive their shots to continue work. In response, 117 members of the staff filed a lawsuit accusing the hospital of “forcing its employees to be human ‘guinea pigs’ as a condition for continued employment.”
Jennifer Bridges, a nurse who led the Houston Methodist protest, told local media: “If we don’t stop this now and do some kind of change, everybody’s just going to topple. It’s going to create a domino effect. Everybody across the nation is going to be forced to get things into their body that they don’t want and that’s not right.”
Houston Methodist, which employs 26,000 people, issued a statement saying that vaccine compliance was near 100%. “We fully support the right of our employees to peacefully gather on their own time, but it is unacceptable to even suggest they abandon their patients to participate in this activity,” the hospital said. “We have faith that our employees will continue putting our patients first.”
While the federal government has advised that employers are allowed to mandate vaccines for on-site workers, employers have shown reluctance to implement requirements amid a flurry of lawsuits filed on behalf of anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists (NYT).
Analysis & Arguments
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