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March 9, 2021 - Brief Issue 164

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

CDC Issues New Guidance for Vaccinated Americans (Health & Science)

Trust in Covid-19 Vaccines Flagging Among Republicans, Rural Americans (Health & Science)

Pfizer Vaccine Effective Against P.1 Variant First Discovered in Brazil (Health & Science)

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad Tests Positive (Around the World)

Germany Ramps Up Vaccinations Using AstraZeneca Shots as Lockdown Eases (Around the World)

U.K. Students Back at School (Around the World)

Child Marriages On the Rise During the Pandemic, Says UNICEF (Around the World)

U.S. House Prepares to Vote on Stimulus (U.S. Government)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen: Full Employment by 2022 (U.S. Economy)

Pandemic Boosts Sales of E-Bikes (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 29,045,447 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 525,816 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has conducted 363,789,451 tests and distributed 116,378,615 vaccine doses, with 92,089,852 doses administered (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 117,177,827 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 2,600,852 deaths. At least 66,386,622 people have recovered from the virus.

CDC Issues New Guidance for Vaccinated Americans

Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or practicing social distancing, according to new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued on Monday (AP, WaPo, NYT, Fox). “With more and more people vaccinated each day, we are starting to turn a corner,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. She called the new guidance a “first step” toward restoring normalcy and said additional activities would be allowed once caseloads and deaths decline and more Americans are vaccinated. The CDC still recommends that fully vaccinated people wear masks, avoid crowds or large gatherings, and physically distance themselves from others when out in public. Vaccinated individuals should also get tested if they develop symptoms of Covid-19. About 31 million Americans — or only about 9% of the U.S. population — have been fully vaccinated with a federally authorized COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to the CDC.

Trust in Covid-19 Vaccines Lagging Among Republicans, Rural Americans

Partisan and geographic divides are surfacing in Americans’ attitudes towards the coronavirus vaccine. Recent polls indicate relatively high levels of vaccine skepticism among Republicans. Last month, Kaiser Family Foundation found that 38% of Republicans responded “definitely not” or “only if required” when asked whether they would take the vaccine, compared to 6% of Democrats. There are also high levels of vaccine skepticism among rural Americans – 28% of rural poll respondents fell in the “definitely not” or “only if required” camp – and, while “rural” and “Republican” are not synonymous, the rural Americans most suspicious of the vaccine tend to be White Republicans (Politico). Experts fear this reluctance will slow the country’s path to herd immunity, which is projected to happen when 75-80% of the population is vaccinated. The Washington Post investigated vaccine skepticism among Republicans, linking it to former President Trump’s downplaying of the coronavirus’ severity, Trump’s history of calling vaccines into question, and widespread mistrust of the government (WaPo). 

Pfizer Vaccine Effective Against P.1 Variant First Discovered in Brazil

The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine appears to be highly effective against a more contagious variant of the virus, known as P.1, which was first discovered in Brazil, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Reuters explains: “Blood taken from people who had been given the vaccine neutralized an engineered version of the virus that contained the same mutations carried on the spike portion of the highly contagious P.1 variant first identified in Brazil conducted by scientists from the companies and the University of Texas Medical Branch found” (Reuters). The variant P.1 spread rapidly across Brazil since it was first discovered in January, reinfecting people who already had Covid-19 and worrying scientists. According to the U.S. CDC, just 15 cases of the Brazil variant have been identified in nine states so far, but as many states lift restrictions, health authorities worry that new mutations of the virus could fuel another surge in cases (WaPo). 

D.C. Launches New Randomized Testing Program for Schools

Thanks to a new coronavirus testing initiative, the District of Columbia public school system will begin weekly randomized testing of in-person students on March 15th (WaPo). This strategy, which mirrors that of the New York City public school system, is designed to give D.C. officials a sense of the overall infection rate in schools, though it will not test every student. Ten percent of public and charter school students will be randomly selected for testing each week. Parents must consent to their child’s participation in the program, and charter schools will only be included if they offer at least four days per week of in-person instruction. This randomized testing initiative expands upon the existing testing program, launched in December. Currently, the D.C. health department sends staff to public schools every two weeks to administer testing, but parents and teachers have reported delays and staff shortages. Through the randomized program, nursing staff will carry out testing on-site. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testing is one important aspect of safely reopening schools. The CDC’s updated coronavirus guidelines suggest random sampling as a possible tactic for school districts with moderate to substantial community transmission. About 10,000 students are now attending D.C. public schools in-person, though attendance is irregular. Charter schools are projected to have about 9,000 students in person by the end of March.

Goucher College Poll Finds Little Difference in Vaccine Hesitancy Among Maryland Residents

Maryland governor Larry Hogan (R) has publicly pointed to hesitancy as the reason for low coronavirus vaccination rates in minority communities (WaPo). In February, he said residents of Prince George’s County, a majority-Black suburb, were “refusing to take the vaccine.” But a recent poll from Goucher College revealed little discrepancy between White and Black Marylanders’ trust of the shot (WaPo). Goucher polled 725 residents between February 23 and 28, finding that 36% of Black residents and 31% of White residents said they wanted to wait for more information before getting the vaccine, would only get it if required to or would not get it at all. Although the poll indicated that race has little bearing on vaccine hesitancy, Hogan’s administration is facing criticism over racial disparities in Maryland’s vaccine rollout. Black people make up 31% of Maryland’s population, but only 16% of vaccine recipients who reported their race. Maryland’s Black population has also been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Public trust in the vaccine is growing. In October, Goucher found that fewer than half of Maryland residents would get the vaccine if it were made available at no cost, but as of now, over two-thirds of Marylanders have received at least a first dose or plan on getting the vaccine as soon as possible.

Around the World

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad Tests Positive

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and his wife, Asma, tested positive for the coronavirus after experiencing mild symptoms, Mr. al-Assad’s office said on Monday. They are in good health and said they will continue to work from home for two weeks while quarantining. The news comes as the 10-year anniversary of Syria’s civil war approaches and the economy is at its worst since the fighting began, with many Syrians unable to feed themselves; last month the World Food Program warned that more than 60% of the population was at risk of going hungry (NYT). The country of about 17 million people has reported just under 16,000 Covid-19 infections and about 1,063 deaths but the cases are likely to be undercounted as government data is not transparent.

Germany Ramps Up Vaccinations Using AstraZeneca Shots as Lockdown Eases

Germany’s vaccine rollout got off to a slow start, like most of the European Union, due to lagging delivery of vaccines and logistical problems. Germany had received 2.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca shot, but administered just 721,000 because of restrictions on who could receive the vaccine (AP). But last week Germany’s independent vaccine committee said new data showed the AstraZeneca vaccine was effective in people over the age of 65, prompting swift changes in the rules by the government. On Monday, authorities opened a large vaccination center in the old Tempelhof Airport that will administer only the AstraZeneca vaccine. Operators started with 200 appointments but are hoping to scale up to as many as 3,300 shots a day by the end of March. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told public broadcaster ZDF that he expects Germany to be able to administer up to 10 million doses a week by the end of the month, which would be twice as many as the roughly 5 million shots Germany has administered since the end of December. Meanwhile, the country is taking small steps to ease the lockdown, with more students returning to schools and daycares reopening, along with some businesses and museums, but appointments must be booked in advance as capacity is limited. 

U.K. Students Back at School

Millions of students in the U.K. went back to school on Monday for the first time since January in a move that Prime Minister Boris Johnson described as bringing the country “closer to a sense of normality” (NYT). Students ages 5-11 are already back to their classrooms as of yesterday while older students started a phased re-entry process that will take place over this week. Students ages 11-18 must wear face masks in school and are also being asked to take rapid Covid-19 tests every week in an effort to identify asymptomatic cases. Britain reported its lowest number of deaths within 28 days on Sunday, with 82 deaths due to Covid-19. It’s the first time in five months that the death toll has been in the double digits. 

Bonus Read: “As U.S. Throws Workers a Lifeline, Europe’s Safety Net Leaves Many Behind,” (WSJ).

Child Marriages On the Rise During the Pandemic, Says UNICEF

New analysis released by UNICEF on Monday predicted that an additional 10 million child marriages could take place before the end of the decade due in large part to risk factors that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. According to UNICEF, “school closures, economic stress, service disruptions, pregnancy, and parental deaths due to the pandemic are putting the most vulnerable girls at increased risk of child marriage.” In the last decade, child marriages had decreased by 15%, from nearly 1 in 4 to 1 in 5, but that progress is most likely going to be lost as Covid-19 has made already difficult situations for millions of girls even worse. UNICEF notes: “COVID-19 is profoundly affecting the lives of girls. Pandemic-related travel restrictions and physical distancing make it difficult for girls to access the health care, social services and community support that protect them from child marriage, unwanted pregnancy and gender-based violence. As schools remain closed, girls are more likely to drop out of education and not return. Job losses and increased economic insecurity may also force families to marry their daughters to ease financial burdens.” Bonus Read: “Child marriage is on the rise during the pandemic. Here’s how one girl fought for her freedom in Guatemala,” (WaPo).

U.S. Government & Politics

House Prepares to Vote on Stimulus

The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the $1.9 trillion stimulus package as soon as today (WaPo). The House passed an earlier version of the bill in February without any Republican support, but Democrats in the Senate made a number of changes to gain the votes of centrist Senators, including jettisoning the $15 minimum wage hike and reducing the unemployment benefits provided compared to the original House version. Even so, the Senate version passed with no Republican votes. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), a progressive who has voiced disappointment with the Senate’s changes said, “Importantly, despite the fact that we believe any weakening of the House provisions were bad policy and bad politics, the reality is that the final amendments were relatively minor concessions.” The House’s plan for a vote today could put the bill on track for being signed by March 14.

Biden Plans to Address Nation on Thursday to Mark Pandemic’s Anniversary

President Biden plans to address the nation on Thursday, marking the one year anniversary of the pandemic and related shutdowns (WaPo). The Washington Post writes, “The address is part of a busy week of events focused on the coronavirus as Congress nears final passage of a $1.9 trillion relief bill. On Monday, Biden is scheduled to visit a veterans’ medical center in Washington that is administering coronavirus vaccines.”

States Propose Bans on Employer Mandated Vaccinations

Lawmakers in more than two dozen states are considering legislation to forbid employers from mandating that their employees get vaccinated, the Washington Post reports (WaPo). The efforts come even as it is not clear that employers or states will seek to mandate vaccination. The Washington Post writes, “The bills, mostly backed by Republicans, would limit employers’ ability to require coronavirus vaccines for their staff, according to data from the National Council on State Legislatures. Some would go even further and limit the ability of workplaces to require any vaccines at all, potentially affecting existing rules for flu and hepatitis B vaccines in hospitals and nursing homes.” So far there these efforts have seen limited success. In North Dakota, Indiana, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Virginia, such proposals have already been blocked or failed to pass.

U.S. Economy

Bonus Read: “Stocks Diverge as Bond Yields Rise,” (WSJ). 

Treasury Secretary Yellen: Full Employment by 2022

On Monday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen predicted that with the passage of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package currently being debated, the United States should return to full employment by 2022 (WSJ). Yellen told MSNBC, “We expect the resources here to really fuel a very strong economic recovery,” adding, “I’m anticipating, if all goes well, that our economy will be back to full employment, where we were before the pandemic, next year.” Yellen noted that the Congressional Budget Office estimates that in the absence of stimulus the U.S. would not reach full employment until 2024.

U.S. Society

Bonus Read: “On International Women’s Day, a Look Back at the Last Year in Pandemic for Working Women,” (WSJ).

Pandemic Boosts Sales of E-Bikes

Amid the pandemic, sales of E-Bikes, or electronic bikes, have surged, the Washington Post reports (WaPo). The Post writes, “According to an industry report, after consistent sales increases throughout the spring, June e-bike sales nearly tripled compared with 2019 sales. With all the elements of a traditional bicycle, plus a rechargeable battery and a motor, e-bikes make cycling more accessible by doing the heavy lifting for you.” Arleigh Greenwald, product marketing manager at Tern Bicycles and a former bike shop owner, told the Post that there’s a “direct link” between the pandemic and increased sales as people look for activities they can do while “stuck in your bubble.”

Analysis & Arguments

Veronica Penney looks at how Covid has changed New York public transit (NYT).

Ellen Cushing writes that the late stage pandemic is messing with peoples’ brains (Atlantic).

Kate Cray and Morgan Ome write that the pandemic may have changed the snow day forever (Atlantic).

Jeet Heer makes the case for why Democrats should give Senator Joe Manchin two cheers (Nation).

Bryce Covert writes on the lack of and racial disparities in debt forgiveness for small business recipients of PPP loans (Intercept).

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The Brief is edited by David Sterman and Emily Schneider with Senior Editor Peter Bergen.

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