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March 11, 2021 - Brief Issue 166

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 Plans on Purchasing 100 Million Additional Doses of J&J Vaccine (Health & Science)

STAT Study Finds Vaccination Rates Correlate with Wealth in States with High Income Gaps (Health & Science)

Convalescent Plasma Treatment Appears Futile in Severely Ill Covid-19 Patients (Health & Science)

Alaska Offers Vaccine to All Residents 16 Years and Up (Health & Science)

Brazil Surpasses U.S. in Daily Cases, Deaths (Around the World)

Chile on Track to Reach Herd Immunity Soon (Around the World)

EU Exported Vaccines Despite Shortage at Home (Around the World)

U.S. House of Representatives Passes Stimulus Package (U.S. Government & Politics)

Unexpected U.S. Economic Growth Sparks Concerns About Fragile Economies (U.S. Economy)

A Year of Long College Waitlists (U.S. Society)

How Black and Hispanic Communities are Responding to Covid Misinformation (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 29,154,666 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 529,203 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has conducted 367,015,805 tests and distributed 127,869,155 vaccine doses, with 95,721,290 doses administered (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 118,006,153 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 2,619,676 deaths. At least 66,838,291 people have recovered from the virus.

Biden Plans on Purchasing 100 Million Additional Doses of J&J Vaccine

President Biden announced Wednesday that the U.S will secure another 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, advancing his plan to have every U.S. adult vaccinated by the end of May (WaPo). Biden made the announcement during a meeting with pharmaceutical giant Merck, which, thanks to a partnership mediated by the new administration, will assist in manufacturing Johnson and Johnson vaccines (WaPo).

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said acquiring more Johnson & Johnson vaccines – which only require one shot, and have less stringent refrigeration requirements than other options – will allow for “maximum flexibility” (NYT). The White House is anticipating vaccination stumbling blocks; it’s still unclear which vaccine is most effective on children, Psaki said, and vaccines may need to evolve alongside rapidly mutating coronavirus variants. Having extra Johnson & Johnson shots may prepare the U.S. to administer “booster” vaccination shots as the virus mutates (Politico). 

Biden said that, if the situation allows, additional shots could be put towards vaccination efforts for children, or donated to other countries. “If we have a surplus, we’ll share it with the rest of the world,” he said. Before this most recent deal, the U.S. already had enough shots lined up to vaccinate the entire U.S. population. The deal needs to be confirmed with Johnson & Johnson, and these additional 100 million shots will likely be delivered in the second half of 2021. States are readying themselves for an increase in vaccine allocations, per Biden’s recommendation (WaPo).

STAT Study Finds Vaccination Rates Correlate with Wealth in States with High Income Gaps

The results of a STAT analysis suggest that coronavirus vaccine distribution is skewed towards the wealthy. Among states that publicize local vaccination data, STAT identified 10 with the largest income inequality, and compared vaccination rates in the richest 10% and poorest 10% of counties within these states. The data indicate that in several states, vaccination rates track closely with wealth. Connecticut stands out as the most drastic example; there is a 65% gap between the vaccination rates of the wealthiest and least privileged parts of the state. “There really are two Connecticuts,” said Tiffany Donelson, chief executive of the Connecticut Health Foundation. 

There are a variety of factors behind this disparity. First, wealthier areas tend to have more healthcare infrastructure, making it easier to set up vaccination sites. Richer people may have more reliable transportation and flexible work schedules, allowing them to take time off to get vaccinated, as well as more dependable access to the internet. Plus, older people are prioritized for the vaccine, and life expectancy is correlated with privilege. 

Many local governments are attempting to craft policies that improve vaccine equity. D.C., for example, is collaborating with community organizations to improve vaccine outreach, and has allotted 20-30% of its vaccine supply for underserved populations. Connecticut has launched a vaccination phone line, meant to assist residents without internet access. 

Convalescent Plasma Treatment Appears Futile in Severely Ill Covid-19 Patients

Last March, the FDA granted Dr. Nicole Bouvier permission to use convalescent plasma as an experimental treatment for Covid-19 (NPR, Mount Sinai). In this therapy, infected Covid-19 patients are given plasma from the blood of people who have already recovered; the idea is that the antibodies in the plasma will help kick the virus. Bouvier, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, identified 20,000 plasma donors with high levels of antibodies in their blood. Mount Sinai treated over 1,400 patients with convalescent plasma, though Bouvier was never sure whether the treatment had any real effect.

Several weeks ago, Bouvier halted all convalescent plasma treatment at Mount Sinai. She said she’d seen enough evidence from large-scale studies that the therapy has little to no impact on seriously ill Covid-19 patients. “The straw that broke the camel’s back was two very large cohort trials,” Bouvier said, referring to the U.K’s RECOVERY trial and Canada’s CONCOR-1 trial, both of which are no longer in operation.  

Some medical professionals, however, note that these major trials were conducted on critically sick patients. Dr. Arturo Casadevall at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health thinks convalescent plasma treatment should be used as an earlier intervention, targeted toward more mildly ill people at outpatient clinics. Results from Casadevall’s study have been delayed due to issues securing funding. Yet Casadevall remains hopeful that convalescent plasma treatment could be even more effective than monoclonal antibody treatments, which are currently authorized for use by the FDA, because the convalescent plasma collected from Covid-19 patients will evolve as the virus changes and mutates. 

Several studies on the efficacy of convalescent plasma treatment are ongoing. Bouvier said that, looking back, it makes sense why plasma might not work for seriously ill patients; severe symptoms are caused by the body’s reaction to the virus, but they persist even after the virus leaves the body, making antibodies less helpful. Still, Bouvier says that if studies identify a population that responds well to convalescent plasma treatment, she’ll consider bringing it back to Mount Sinai. 

Alaska Offers Vaccine to All Residents 16 Years and Up

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced Tuesday that all residents 16 years of age or older are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine, while the Johnson and Johnson and Moderna vaccines remain available to anyone 18 and older (NYT). Alaska is the first state to reach this step in its vaccine rollout. The commissioner of Alaska’s state health department, Adam Crum, said of Tuesday’s announcement, “Simply put, you are eligible to get the vaccine.” In a statement, Dunleavy said some areas of Alaska have already vaccinated 90% of seniors, and in the Nome Census Area, over 60% of residents aged 16 and over are at least partially vaccinated.

UC Davis Offers Cash Incentive for Students to Forgo Spring Break

The University of California at Davis is offering a $75 cash incentive to students who stay in place during spring break, which begins late this month (WaPo). Applications for the grant closed Wednesday evening; 2,000 winners will receive a gift card to a local business. This initiative comes in response to public health experts’ recommendations against travel, as Covid remains rampant. 

Last month, the CDC warned specifically against spring break travel, recommending that students push their trips back to 2022 (WaPo). Scientists are concerned that spring break, which happens in March for many colleges across the U.S, will contribute to the spread of newer, more contagious variants (WaPo). Florida, a popular spring break spot, has so far counted 689 cases of the fast-spreading U.K. strain.

According to Justin Lessler of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, most college-aged students remain unvaccinated, so it’s wise to limit travel among this age group. “Traveling and going home has a potential to both spread the virus from wherever the school is to other places,” Lessler said. “People can also be infected and bring it back. And the real concern is higher-risk folks could get infected.”

Bonus Read: “‘A Wild Year’: School Nurses Greatly Expand Role With Covid-19 Vaccination, Contact Tracing,” (STAT).

Growing NYC Prison Population Stirs Up Covid Concerns

When the pandemic first began, New York City took steps to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in its prisons, which are crowded and often early ventilated (NYT). Initiatives such as an early release program spearheaded by Mayor Bill DeBlasio reduced the number of imprisoned New Yorkers to 3,900 by the end of April. But incarcerations increased once again over the summer, and there are now over 5,500 people in NYC jails. Officials fear a prison outbreak, especially given the recent spread of more contagious variants. 

Prison populations grew over the summer as temporary efforts to get people out of jail ended; in addition, changes to New York State’s bail reform law put more people physically in prisons (NYT). There have also been more arrests for violent offenses due to an upsurge of gun-related crimes. Because the state’s court system has been sluggish during the pandemic, people are spending longer in jail than they normally would. Avery Cohen, an NYC mayoral spokesperson, said this slowdown places more people at risk of infection. Throughout the pandemic, prisons have spawned multiple large outbreaks across the country (NYT). Few prisoners are vaccinated at this point. 

Bonus Read: “‘Then the World Caved In’: 9 Experts Describe the Day They Realized Covid-19 Was Here to Stay,” (STAT).

Around the World

Bonus Read: “A Year On, WHO Still Struggling to Manage Pandemic Response,” (AP).

Brazil Surpasses U.S. in Daily Cases, Deaths

Brazil has overtaken the U.S. as the country with the most daily Covid-19 cases and deaths in the world as a variant of the coronavirus, known as P.1, sweeps through the country. On Wednesday, Brazil’s daily Covid-19 death toll rose to 2,286, it’s highest yet during the pandemic (WSJ). For comparison, the U.S. death toll on Tuesday was 1,947. New cases have also surged, with almost 1,000 new cases registered every 20 minutes--more than 70,000 a day. Health experts blame the rapid spread of the P.1 strain that was first identified in the Amazonian city of Manaus, which studies have shown to be more contagious and able to reinfect people who have already had Covid-19. Brazil’s health system is struggling to cope with the ongoing onslaught of patients, with chaos overtaking many hospitals and oxygen in short supply (AP). Brazil lacks a national pandemic response plan and an attempt by governors that included a curfew and prohibition of crowds was presented Wednesday but failed as six governors declined to sign on. Piaui state’s Gov. Wellington Dias told The Associated Press that, unless pressure on hospitals is eased, growing numbers of patients will have to endure the disease without a hospital bed or any hope of treatment in an intensive care unit. “We have reached the limit across Brazil; rare are the exceptions,” Dias, who leads the governors’ forum, said. “The chance of dying without assistance is real.” Researchers say that hundreds of variants are now circulating around Brazil, meaning that more dangerous versions of the disease could emerge. Doctors have also reported that younger patients, people in their 30s and 40s, are being admitted now compared to during Brazil’s first wave of the virus in the middle of last year.

Chile on Track to Reach Herd Immunity Soon

Chile’s vaccination campaign against Covid-19 is outpacing its Latin American neighbors and much of the world, putting the nation on course to become the first developing country to achieve herd immunity (WSJ). More than 22% of Chile’s 19 million residents have already received at least one dose, putting it behind only Israel, the UAE, and the U.K. On most days over the past month, Chile has vaccinated 1.1% of the population, that’s more than 200,000 people daily. The government expects to vaccinate 80% of its population by June. Bonus Read: “How Chile built one of the world’s most successful vaccination campaigns,” (Vox).

EU Exported Vaccines Despite Shortage at Home

European Union figures show that the bloc allowed some 34 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine exports over the past weeks despite shortages at home, according to the Associated Press. Several officials who spoke to the AP said that over 9.1 million doses were exported to the U.K. even as diplomatic tensions rose over the Brexit agreement. One official highlighted that the exports were “only for the producers that respect their contract commitments” towards the EU. EU member nations are facing criticism for the slow pace of vaccinations but production cannot come close to meeting the demand. This discrepancy is especially stark in comparing the U.K. to the EU: the U.K. has vaccinated 35% of its adult population while the EU has only reached 9.6% of adults. 

Cambodia Reports First Covid-19 Death

On Thursday Cambodia confirmed its first death from Covid-19, a year since the pandemic began. The 50-year-old man was infected last month while working as a driver for a Chinese company in Sihanoukville and died on Thursday morning, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Cambodia has confirmed only 1,163 cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, but is now battling a local outbreak that has infected several hundred people. The AP writes: “According to the Health Ministry, the new outbreak was traced to a foreign resident who broke quarantine in a hotel and went to a nightclub in early February. That caused a slew of infections and led the government on Feb. 20 to announce a two-week closure of all public schools, cinemas, bars and entertainment areas in Phnom Penh.” The country began its vaccination campaign in February.

U.S. Government & Politics

Bonus Read: “How the 2022 Senate Map is Shaping Up,” (WaPo). 

House Passes Stimulus Package

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package (Politico). The bill passed 220-211 garnering no Republican supporters. The bill will now go to President Biden who is expected to sign it into law on Friday. Politico writes, “Nearly every Democrat backed the legislation, including progressives who remain furious that their party was forced to strip out one of its major policy goals from the bill — raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.” As we have covered in prior briefs, the House passed an earlier version, but the Senate following negotiations with centrist Democrats, including Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) stripped the minimum wage hike and reduced eligibility for some benefits provided in the original House version. Despite such changes, the vote in the Senate was also a party-line vote with no Republican supporters of the bill.

Banks Pressure Biden to Continue Small Business Loans

Banks are pressuring President Biden to continue the Paycheck Protection Program’s small business loans even after the program is set to expire on March 31 (Politico). Many banks are saying that more time is needed to ensure access. Politico writes, “Banks responsible for doling out billions of dollars in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program are already beginning to close down their application portals early so they can process requests and ensure they can clear new government fraud checks. Bank of America, the No. 2 PPP lender by dollar volume, planned to stop taking applications on Tuesday so it can help customers meet the deadline.” As we covered in a prior brief, the Biden administration changed the rules governing the dispersal of loans to try and promote access by minority-owned and small businesses as the program comes to an end.

House Passes PRO Act

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the PRO Act, which would make it easier for gig workers to unionize (WSJ). The act would codify a rule made by the National Labor Relations Board under Obama and then reversed under Trump. The act has been a major priority for the labor movement. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka pointed to its importance in light of the pandemic, stating, “The PRO Act is our litmus test and if progress is delayed or denied yet again, the suffering of the past year will only get worse,” and adding, “But if our leaders step up to the plate and deliver generational change—the change we voted for—we will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever before.” The move, which is unlikely to pass the Senate, has drawn opposition from companies like Uber and Lyft that rely upon gig workers. The industry group App-Based Work Alliance stated that the House “voted to put at risk the flexibility that millions of app-based workers rely on by including the same overly narrow definition of independent work.” As we have covered in prior briefs, the rights of gig workers has been a major issue, particularly during the pandemic, resulting in previous political fights most notably in California.

U.S. Economy

Bonus Read: “Stocks Climb as Inflation Remains Muted,” (WSJ).

Unexpected U.S. Economic Growth Sparks Concerns About Fragile Economies

As we have covered in prior briefs, the U.S. is likely to post substantial growth in the coming year, generating hope that it may help drive a global economic recovery. Yet the United States’ growth is also sparking concerns that it might disrupt fragile economies in other countries (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal reports, “According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the rise in U.S. government bond yields in response to higher growth and inflation expectations could spark capital flight from emerging economies, where vaccine campaigns have barely begun and whose economic recovery is expected to take longer.” OECD Chief Economist Laurence Boone stated, “The wider the divergences across countries regarding vaccinations, the wider the differential in the pace of growth, and that paves the way for capital outflows,” emphasizing the importance of speedy vaccination in other countries to avoid an unbalanced global recovery.

Bonus Read: “These Businesses Thrived in Lockdown. Can They Keep It Up Now?,” (WSJ).

U.S. Society

Bonus Read: “Avoiding a ‘Gender Recession’: New Report Details How the Pandemic Has Impeded Women’s STEM Careers,” (STAT).

A Year of Long College Waitlists

As students begin to receive College acceptance decisions, they should expect decisions on whether they will get off college waitlists to take longer than usual, the Wall Street Journal reports (WSJ). Part of the issue is that due to the pandemic and its impact, colleges are less sure than normal how many and which students will actually enroll. The Journal writes, “Wait lists have been bloated for years, used by colleges as a cushion along with binding early-decision programs, to ensure a complete class without sacrificing selectivity. But this year schools are expecting to turn to them as early as next month and pluck students well into late summer.” Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told the Journal, “The wait lists are going to be obnoxious this year” emphasizing the likely length and the likelihood of a more drawn out process.

How Black and Hispanic Communities are Responding to Covid Misinformation

In a report on Wednesday, the New York Times profiled how Black and Hispanic communities are responding to misinformation about the pandemic including via door-to-door advocacy (NYT). The Times writes, “Black and Hispanic communities, which were hit harder by the pandemic and whose vaccination rates are lagging that for white people, are confronting vaccine conspiracy theories, rumors and misleading news reports on social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter and in private online messaging, health authorities and misinformation researchers said.” Kolina Koltai, a researcher at the University of Washington studying conspiracy theories emphasized one issue to the Times: “What might look like, on the surface, as doctors prioritizing communities of color is being read by some people online as ‘Oh, those doctors want us to go first to be the guinea pigs.’” The Times notes that misinformation and hesitancy combines with significant access issues, writing, “Native American groups have been battling vaccine fears in their communities, and doctors have reported that some of their Chinese-American patients have been bringing in articles in Chinese-language media outlets questioning vaccines made in the United States. Many Black and Hispanic people were already struggling to make appointments and reach vaccination sites that are often in whiter, wealthier neighborhoods. And officials in some cities say that people from those neighborhoods also have been flooding vaccination appointment systems and taking supply intended for poorer Black and Hispanic residents.”

Analysis & Arguments

Geoff Edgers reports on how 27 entertainers experienced the Covid pandemic and its shutting down of their work (WaPo). 

The New York Times provides a graphic representation of each state’s vaccine priority line (NYT).

Sanya Dostani and Max Cantor explore why the Cherokee Nation avoided much of the devastation other communities have faced due to Covid (NYT).

Isaac CHotiner interviews Dr. Ashish Jha on what life will be like after vaccination (New Yorker).

 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.

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