No images? Click here Click here to subscribe to the daily brief. May 20, 2021 - Brief Issue 201 The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University. Please consider making a donation to support our ongoing analysis of the most important news and headlines surrounding Covid-19. Top Headlines Fauci Says People Are Misinterpreting CDC Guidance, Unvaccinated Americans Still Need to Mask Up; Booster Shot Likely Needed Within a Year (Health & Science) Officials See Urban-Rural Vaccination Divide as Threat to Public Health (Health & Science) Yale Study Provides Insight Into Rare Coronavirus-Related Syndrome in Children (Health & Science) Researchers Say Coronavirus-Sniffing Dogs Could Help Detect Covid-19 (Health & Science) India Sets Global Record for Covid-19 Deaths in a Day (Around the World) E.U. Plans to Reopen Tourism to Vaccinated Visitors (Around the World) Colombia Reopens Land and Water Borders (Around the World) Opponents of Australia’s Harsh Border Closures Warn of ‘Hermit Nation’ (Around the World) House Republicans Stage Mask Protest; Texas Governor Bans Local Mask Requirements (U.S. Government & Politics) Hate Crime Bill Focused on Anti-Asian Crimes Passes House, Heads to Biden for Signature (U.S. Government & Politics) Emergent Executives Acknowledge Quality Issues Before Congress (U.S. Government & Politics) Target, TJx Sales Surge; So Do Home Depot and Lowes Sales (U.S. Economy) Health & Science There have been 33,027,220 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 587,875 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 277,290,095 vaccine doses, with 47.9% of Americans having received their first vaccine dose and 37.8% fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 164,966,830 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 3,419,446 deaths. Fauci Says People Are Misinterpreting CDC Guidance, Unvaccinated Americans Still Need to Mask Up; Booster Shot Likely Needed Within a Year Chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Americans are misinterpreting new mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which announced last week that vaccinated people can unmask indoors and outdoors (WaPo). Fauci clarified that masks are still recommended for unvaccinated people, who are at significantly higher risk of contracting Covid-19: “They are feeling that we’re saying: ‘You don’t need the mask anymore.’ That’s not what the CDC said.” Professional organizations, including National Nurses United and the United Food and Commercial Workers, have been particularly outspoken in criticizing the CDC’s new guidance, saying it places essential workers at risk (Politico). House Education and Labor Chair Bobby Scott said the new policy’s reliance on an “honor code” for masking leaves businesses little room to enforce masking among unvaccinated Americans. Dr. Fauci also announced Wednesday that a Covid-19 booster shot will likely be needed within a year of vaccination (CNN). “We know that the vaccine durability of the efficacy lasts at least six months, and likely considerably more, but I think we will almost certainly require a booster sometime within a year or so after getting the primary,” he said. Officials See Urban-Rural Vaccination Divide as Threat to Public Health According to a recent CDC report, vaccination rates in rural America are trailing those in urban areas, posing a serious public health risk (CNN). Although rural Americans are at a higher risk for coronavirus-related hospitalization and death, the Covid-19 vaccine had reached only 39% of people in rural counties as of April 10, compared to over 46% in urban counties. This is in part an access issue – most rural Americans live in “medically underserved” areas – but it also reflects widespread vaccine hesitancy among this demographic. Because a fifth of the U.S. population lives in rural counties, experts fear this gap in vaccination could elevate national Covid-19 case counts, lead to vaccine-resistant variants, and cause deadly local outbreaks (CNN). The CDC is encouraging public health workers in rural counties to work alongside local doctors and community figures in order to improve vaccine uptake. Yale Study Provides Insight Into Rare Coronavirus-Related Syndrome in Children Although the novel coronavirus tends to present less severely in younger people, about 0.1% of infected children experience Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), an unpredictable and sometimes deadly immune reaction (Science Daily). A Yale-led study published in Immunity has illuminated some of the distinctive immune markers of the disease, which occurs 4-6 weeks of an asymptomatic or mild case of Covid-19. The team tested blood samples from 23 MIS-C patients, as well as blood from healthy adult and pediatric patients and adults who suffered serious Covid-19 symptoms. Compared to the others, children with MIS-C had elevated levels of alarmins – innate immune system molecules – as well as adaptive immune responses, which develop in response to pathogens like Covid-19 but can then attack healthy tissues and trigger further inflammation. "Innate immunity may be more active in children who are infected with [the] virus," explained Dr. Carrie Lucas of Yale University. "But on the flip side, in rare cases it may get too revved up and contribute to this inflammatory disease." Understanding the biological hallmarks of MIS-C could assist with early detection and treatment. Researchers Say Coronavirus-Sniffing Dogs Could Help Detect Covid-19 Accumulating evidence suggests that coronavirus-sniffing dogs might be a low-cost, accurate, and lovable way to identify positive cases of the virus (WSJ). Professor Dominique Grandjean of the National Veterinary School of Alfort in France said studies from around the world have shown dogs to be 88-99% accurate in identifying positive cases, and 84-98% accurate in avoiding false positives. Dogs have over 300 million scent receptors, six times the amount in humans, enabling them to sniff out coronavirus-specific scents in sweat and saliva. While dogs have historically been trained to detect drugs, explosives, and some other diseases, “this is the first time that dogs are able to detect a viral disease in humans,” Grandjean said. Dogs can be trained quickly, especially if they’re experienced in sniffing out substances or other illnesses. Some businesses and governments are already using dogs for Covid-19 screenings: “It’s an extra layer of protection … and it’s a lot more pleasant than having a swab stuck in your nose,” said Robert Meade, chief executive of Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, in Florida. Research is ongoing as to whether vaccines complicate dogs’ coronavirus-sniffing abilities. The World Health Organization is assembling a task force to look into the use of dogs for Covid-19 detection. Vaccines Play a Major Role in Preventing Nursing Home Outbreaks, Study Finds A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence for the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines in nursing homes, which have accounted for a third of U.S. deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic (NYT). Brown University researchers examined health data from over 20,000 residents of 280 nursing homes in 21 states. About a fifth of these people were unvaccinated. The rest had received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine; around 70% of this subset was fully vaccinated. Between February 15 and March 31, 4.5% of the partially vaccinated residents contracted Covid-19, though most had asymptomatic or mild cases. Only 0.3% of the fully vaccinated people caught the virus. Among those who weren’t vaccinated, the rate of infection dropped 15-fold.“Robust vaccine coverage among residents and staff, together with the continued use of face masks and other infection-control measures, is likely to afford protection for a small number of unvaccinated residents,” the researchers wrote in NEJM. Bonus Read: “Covid-19 Shots for Teens Can Hit Legal Snags and Parental Pushback,” (WSJ). Around the World Asia India Sets Global Record for Covid-19 Deaths in a Day On Wednesday India reported more coronavirus deaths in a single day than any other country at any other time during the pandemic. The Health Ministry reported a record 4,529 deaths in the past 24 hours, driving India’s confirmed fatalities to 283,248. It also reported 267,334 new infections, as daily cases remained below 300,000 for the third consecutive day (AP, NYT). The numbers are almost certainly undercounts as testing is limited and infections continue to spread throughout rural areas with weak healthcare systems and fewer resources. The spread of Covid-19 appears to be slowing in urban areas thanks to city-wide lockdowns, but India’s rural areas – which suffer from limited medical resources – are being ravaged by the virus. Cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi have seen some signs of improvement in recent days and experts say the number of new infections could finally be slowing, but other areas are still suffering. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, has more than 136,000 confirmed active infections. Hospitals across the country are undersupplied and vaccinations have been outpaced by fast-spreading viral variants. Even if India’s daily death toll starts to drop, experts say, that would be more representative of urban lockdown measures, not an indication that the virus is under control in the countryside. Philippines Pushes Brand Agnostic Vaccine Clinics The Philippines Health Department said it will no longer allow local governments to announce which brand of coronavirus vaccines will be available at vaccine sites (NPR). "What we're going to enforce now is brand agnostic," Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje told CNN Philippines' The Source. The announcement comes after hundreds of people lined up at a site in Manila this week when they found out 900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine would be given out there. Only people who are already in line at a vaccination site will be told which shot they will get and if they don’t like what is on offer, then “they go to the end of the line,” Cabotaje said. The country has the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections in Southeast Asia and less than 1% of the 108 million residents have been fully vaccinated. Europe E.U. Plans to Reopen Tourism to Vaccinated Visitors European Union ambassadors recommended Wednesday that the bloc’s 27 member-states open up travel to vaccinated visitors from a number of countries, including the U.S. (NYT, WaPo). This rule would apply to vaccines currently approved in the E.U. – including the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson shots, but excluding those made in Russia and China. The E.U. also plans to update its list of Covid-safe countries from which visitors will be accepted regardless of whether or not they’re vaccinated. Leaders are expected to officially approve the proposal next week, allowing the new tourism measures to go into effect. Dr. Sarah Fortune of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health said this move, which will boost the economies of many European countries, is a risk: “My doomsday scenario is a mixing of vaccinated and unvaccinated populations in a setting where there is high viral load and high viral transmission.” Americas Colombia Reopens Land and Water Borders On Wednesday Colombia reopened its land and water borders with all of its immediate neighbors except for Venezuela as the country tries to boost economic recovery (Reuters). Colombia’s borders have been closed since March last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sea borders were initially reopened in late 2020 but land and river crossings remained closed. The country’s borders with Panama, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil were reopened “in the interest of advancing measures that will help economic reactivation of our border areas and the strengthening of integration processes with neighboring countries," according to a statement by the foreign ministry. Australia Opponents of Australia’s Harsh Border Closures Warn of ‘Hermit Nation’ Australia has some of the strictest restrictions on international travel in the world and earlier this week, officials announced that the country was unlikely to fully reopen its borders until mid-2022. The announcement drew immediate backlash, with critics saying that Australia would become a “hermit nation” along with other warnings from business, legal, and academic leaders (NYT). Officials believe the country’s success in fighting the coronavirus pandemic is due in large part to the closed borders but a group of experts highlighted the dangers in keeping Australian citizens isolated from the larger global community in a recent report. That report, titled “A Roadmap to Reopening,” outlined long-lasting damage to the country and especially young people that would result from continued border closures. “There is an illusion that Australia can go at it alone and be this Shangri-La in the South Pacific,” Tim Soutphommasane, a political expert at the University of Sydney and co-sponsor of the report, said in an interview. “But I think that’s a misguided view. Other countries that do have a vaccinated population will be able to attract skilled migrants, have their universities open up to international students.” U.S. Government & Politics House Republicans Stage Mask Protest; Texas Governor Bans Local Mask Requirements On Tuesday, House Republicans staged a protest of the House of Representatives’ rules regarding masks by refusing to wear them (Politico). The protest comes as the politics of masking have heated up in the wake of the CDC’s revised guidance that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most circumstances. Politico reports, “Around a dozen Republicans refused to wear masks during the evening vote series and strategically stood at the well of the chamber, which appears on the C-SPAN cameras, and seemed to encourage other members to join in.” Current House rules impose hefty fines for not wearing a mask on the House floor, as Politico notes, “$500 for the first offense and $2,500 for the second offense.” Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Texas’ Republican Governor Greg Abbott issued an order banning local governments and public schools from requiring people to wear masks (Politico). Abbott stated, “Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities.” The order includes the ability to impose fines of up to $1,000 on officials who try and require masking. The move follows similar moves by Republican governors in Florida and South Carolina. Hate Crime Bill Focused on Anti-Asian Crimes Passes House, Heads to Biden for Signature On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a bill focused on anti-Asian hate crimes, sending it to President Biden’s desk for signature (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal writes, “The legislation would designate an official at the Justice Department to expedite the review of hate crimes. It also requires the attorney general to issue guidance to state and local law-enforcement agencies on how to establish online reporting for hate crimes, collect data and raise public awareness about such crimes during the coronavirus pandemic.” Emergent Executives Acknowledge Quality Issues Before Congress Testifying before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis on Wednesday, executives from Maryland-based vaccine producer Emergent BioSolutions acknowledged that 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson shot are on hold due to possible contamination, 70 million more than federal officials had estimated (NYT, WaPo). House Democrats launched an investigation into the company in April, after an FDA inspection found unsanitary conditions and poor quality control practices in Emergent’s Baltimore plant – which was responsible for a manufacturing mixup that ruined 15 million J&J doses. “We have questions about why Emergent failed to take action to fix the manufacturing problems plaguing its plant — even after the company was warned that its poor practices led to a very real risk of contamination,” Representative James Clyburn said. Emergent was also sued last month for potentially misleading shareholders. During Wednesday’s hearing, chief executive Robert Kramer and executive chairman Fuad El-Hibri acknowledged and apologized for unsanitary conditions at the manufacturing plant, issues the Trump administration is believed to have known about. The executives avoided questions regarding the stock-related lawsuit. U.S. Economy Target, TJx Sales Surge; So Do Home Depot and Lowes Sales Retail giants Target and TJx (the owner of TJ Maxx) reported strong sales over the Spring (WSJ). Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, told analysts on a Wednesday call that “The first quarter felt like a first step towards a post-pandemic world.” He added, “With vaccinations rolling out across the country and consumers increasingly comfortable venturing out, we’ve seen an enthusiastic return to in-store shopping.” The Wall Street Journal reports, “At Target, comparable sales—those from stores and digital channels operating for at least 12 months—rose 23% from a year earlier in the quarter ended May 1. The growth rate was twice that of the same quarter last year when people rushed to buy food and household staples early in the pandemic.” The Journal also reports, “TJX Cos., which owns T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, reported on Wednesday first-quarter sales that were up 16% from the same period last year and up 8.7% from 2019.” Other firms, including the home improvement retailers Home Depot and Lowes are also reporting strong first quarter sales (WSJ). Analysis & Arguments Olga Khazan examines how employers think about remote work, how they can punish remote workers, and what can help avoid such situations (Atlantic). Vinson Cunningham writes on two plays about trauma, one of which looks at lockdown in a trailer (New Yorker). Peter Holley profiles a nurse who is leading the opposition to mandatory vaccination in Texas (Texas Monthly). NPR reports on how the pandemic has set back women in STEMM (NPR). 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. 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