Coronavirus Daily Brief - July 23, 2020, Brief Issue 83

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July 23, 2020 - Brief Issue 83

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

U.S. on Track to Reach 4 Million Coronavirus Cases Two Weeks After It Reached 3 Million (Health & Science)

U.S. Agrees to Pay Nearly $2 Billion to Pfizer and BioNTech for Vaccine if Approved; Vaccine Developer Novavax, with $1.6 Billion in Government Funds, Awards Stock Options to Executives Worth Tens of Millions Even if Vaccine Fails (Health & Science)

Potential Vaccine Distribution Raises Ethical and Logistical Issues (Health & Science)

U.N. Suggests Basic Income Amid Pandemic (Around the World)

U.S. and European Airlines Call for Virus Testing to Open Up Travel (Around the World)

Lessons Learned from the Ebola Outbreak Helped, but Didn’t Stop, Coronavirus (Around the World)

Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan Announce Record Numbers of New Cases in Resurgence of Outbreak (Around the World)

Bolivia Recovers Over 400 Bodies in 5 Days, Elections in Doubt (Around the World)

D.C. Expands Face Mask Requirement (U.S. Government & Politics)

GOP Considers, Wary of Short Term Extension of Unemployment Benefits (U.S. Government & Politics)

Housing Market Reaches Record Highs in June, but Experts Caution Regarding Possible Future Drop (U.S. Economy)

Georgetown Offers Tuition Reduction to Undergraduate Students for Fall 2020 (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 3,970,908 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 143,190 people have died (Johns Hopkins). For the second day in a row, the U.S. recorded over 1,100 new infections in a 24-hour period (Reuters). Around 1,210,849 people have recovered, and the United States has conducted 48,020,777 tests. Worldwide, there have been 15,231,967 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 623,491 deaths. At least 8,645,531 people have recovered from the virus.

U.S. on Track to Reach 4 Million Coronavirus Cases Two Weeks After It Reached 3 Million; Birx: New Coronavirus Spread Can Be Traced Back to Memorial Day

The United States is on track to reach 4 million coronavirus cases only two weeks after it reached 3 million cases, and lost 1,100 Americans to COVID-19 in 24 hours. The United States reached its first 1 million cases 99 days after the first reported case was discovered on January 21. Forty-three days after that, the U.S. reached 2 million coronavirus cases. Twenty-eight days after that, the U.S. reached 3 million coronavirus cases (CNN). As we’ve tracked in several previous briefs, states are adjusting their reopenings due to spikes in new cases. There are now at least 27 states that have “either halted or rolled back their reopenings.” Rates of positive test results are surging in many states. For example, in May, Florida’s rate of positive coronavirus tests per 1,000 people tested was 36. In June, that number reached 105, and now it is 187. Missouri saw its highest day of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, increasing by 1,301 to a total of 36,063 (CNN, MO Department of Health & Senior Services), and Texas recorded its highest day of COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, at 197 (CBSDFW). Louisiana recorded its highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations on Wednesday, at 1,581. This is the highest the hospitalization rate has been in the state since May (nola.com). In California’s Los Angeles County, “young people [are] driving the spread of the virus, with 57% of new cases reported in people under 41 years old.” Hospitalizations are also at record highs. California has the most coronavirus cases in the nation, surpassing New York’s record with a total of 411,796 as of Wednesday (NYT). New York still has about nine times as many virus-related deaths as California. California Health and Human Services Secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, cautioned against panic, noting that it is the largest state in the country and that cases per capita are still far below New York, despite the recent surge (ABC).

The New York Times reports that as of Wednesday, six of 11 U.S. states that have a “flat or falling” case number are in the Northeastern corridor of the country. This comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced its newest COVID-19 mortality count model last week, showing 150,000 American deaths will likely occur by August 8. This estimate is an increase of 3,000, which on July 9 projected 147,000 deaths by August 1 (CNN). Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, Ashish Jha, said of the United States’ fluctuation in coronavirus cases across the country, “I would not be surprised if what we have is two countries, one which is neck-deep in coronavirus, its hospitals overwhelmed, and another part of the country that is struggling a little, but largely doing OK with their economy,” (NYT). Despite their decline in new cases, “New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have reported the country’s most deaths per capita over the course of the pandemic, with more than 61,000 combined.” According to White House coronavirus task force member Deborah Birx, the recent spike in virus case numbers can be tied all the way back to state openings around Memorial Day. During a press conference on Wednesday, Birx said, “This time we saw wide virus spread across counties, across rural areas, across small metros and big metros, all the way across the South, Southwest and West almost simultaneously” adding, “So this is an event that we think can be traced to Memorial Day and opening up and people traveling again and being on vacations” (WaPo).

The United States government has committed to pay $1.95 billion to buy 100 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine candidate if it is approved for use and can be manufactured successfully (NYT, Pfizer, Reuters, WaPo WSJ). This is the largest investment yet for “Operation Warp Speed” and, if the vaccine is approved, should secure enough to vaccinate 50 million people, assuming a regimen of two doses per person. The government also has the option to purchase an additional 500 million doses—at a price to be negotiated if the U.S. orders them—according to Pfizer. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the vaccine will be available to Americans at no charge, although health insurance companies may pay for them.

Pfizer hopes to start its 30,000 Phase III trial in the U.S. as early as next week, said chief scientific officer Mikael Dolsten, and is planning for the logistics of testing the vaccine in volunteers in areas where the coronavirus infection is surging. The Phase III trial will randomly assign either the vaccine candidate or a placebo to its participants to see if the vaccine protects its recipients against COVID-19 infection; the trial will get stronger and faster results if it takes place in areas with high rates of infection. Pfizer and BioNTech are planning to deliver doses as early as October if their candidate receives approval or authorization for emergency use, with plans to manufacture up to 100 million doses globally by the end of 2020, and up to 1.3 billion doses the following year. In order for a vaccine to be considered effective, it should protect at least 50 percent of the people who receive it, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in its guidance for COVID-19 development and licensing (FDA).

Pfizer plans to spend at least $1 billion on its COVID-19 vaccine program, said chief business officer John Young, and intends to make a profit on the vaccine, said CEO Albert Bourla. In a congressional hearing on Tuesday, several companies said that they would price their vaccines, if approved, at a not-for-profit basis during the pandemic (WSJ). Unlike many other vaccine developers, Pfizer has not received any government funding to develop the vaccine, instead choosing to invest in the development themselves in order to avoid red tape and move its candidates into trials quickly. Their strategy has led to comments on profiteering: “It’s one thing to make a profit off this vaccine, it’s another to profiteer off a pandemic," said Ben Wakana, executive director of the advocacy group Patients For Affordable Drugs (WaPo).

However, the roughly $40 charge for a two-dose regimen is “almost 30% less than what others charge for a seasonal flu vaccine,” says Pfizer spokesperson Sally Beatty (Bloomberg). Bloomberg notes that “Rival drugmakers are unlikely to exceed the $20 price tag [per dose] unless they can deliver a product that’s more effective, has fewer side effects or that doesn’t need as many doses, particularly those developing candidates based on so-called messenger RNA technology, such as Moderna Inc.”

Novavax, which secured $1.6 billion in U.S. government funding for its coronavirus vaccine candidate, has awarded stock options to its CEO and three other executives that could pay out tens of millions of dollars even if the vaccine does not succeed, reports Reuters in an exclusive.

As we noted in Monday’s brief, three leading vaccine candidates—Oxford University and AstraZeneca; CanSino Biologics; and Pfizer and BioNTech—all released detailed Phase I or II trial data (CNN, Nature, NPR, NYT, Politico, Reuters, USAToday, WSJ). Data from all three showed that the vaccine candidates generated promising immune responses in both antibodies and T-cells, but we cannot know if the vaccine candidates will actually protect people against COVID-19 until they complete the large Phase III trials. For a full summary of Monday’s vaccine report, see the first story in Monday’s brief here, and see another comprehensive vaccine update from other potential candidates in the first story of July 15’s brief here.

Potential Vaccine Distribution Raises Ethical and Logistical Issues

Even if vaccine efforts are successful, “initial batches of the vaccine are likely to be available only for a sliver of the population,” writes STAT. Government advance purchases of potential vaccines run “a very high risk of excluding people in the developing world,” said Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Basically, certain rich countries are snapping up the candidate vaccines. It may leave people, who by then are at higher risk, with no protection” (WaPo). Several national leaders have issued an urgent call for vaccines to be distributed around the world “according to a set of transparent, equitable and scientifically sound principles,” echoing the UN’s statement, “None of us are safe until all of us are safe,” which has practical as well as ethical implications, given the virus’ ability to ignore national boundaries (WaPo).

Within the United States, vaccine distribution is also fraught. If Pfizer’s vaccine, for example, is successful and receives early approval or emergency use authorization, the first doses may go to frontline healthcare workers and possibly essential workers like grocery, pharmacy, and mass transit workers, writes the Wall Street Journal. Vaccine distribution may also go through an existing program for children’s flu vaccines, as the H1N1 shots did in the avian flu pandemic in 2009.

However, several different U.S. agencies and groups are involved in potential vaccine distribution, with unclear roles and relationships, writes STAT. They include a new expert panel drawn up by the National Academy of Medicine; the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and prioritized distribution during the avian flu pandemic; and “Operation Warp Speed,” charged with accelerating vaccine development, manufacturing, and distribution. “It seems to me like we’ve just assigned four different air traffic control towers to land the same plane,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy. “Between ACIP, and this new committee, the group working within Operation Warp Speed and just in terms of input from the general community, it’s not clear to me who will make the final decision and how that process will unfold.”

The new panel comes at the request of National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins and CDC director Robert Redfield (NAS). “This is a discussion which is potentially going to be contentious and we want to try to minimize that,” Collins told STAT. “There are certainly parts of society that are suspicious of what the government is doing, no matter what it is,” he said, adding, “And this takes it out of that framework and provides an opportunity for whose sort of wisest big thinkers to gather and make this kind of a judgment about what those priorities ought to look like.” Two highly respected figures will chair the new panel: former CDC director Bill Foege, “one of the architects of the smallpox eradication program and a revered figure in public health circles,” and Helene Gayle, president and CEO of Chicago Community Trust, with 20 years experience at the CDC for 20 years on HIV/AIDS.

Operation Warp Speed, formed only this May, has claimed authority over vaccine distribution decisions. Four organizations extensively involved in vaccine distribution wrote to Operation Warp Speed in June to offer the support of their existing vaccine delivery infrastructure, but have not yet received a reply. “If your job is logistics and you don’t know that there’s a system out there already, it might be easy for you to start planning things down a different path,” said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, one of the groups. “And we don’t want that to happen.”

“In the end it will be decided by the U.S. government,” Osterholm told STAT. He then referred to the chaotic distribution of remdesivir, when many hospitals swamped by COVID-19 surges did not get enough of the anti-COVID-19 treatment while other hospitals had an oversupply, as we’ve covered in previous briefs (Axios, CNN, CNN, STAT, STAT, Politico, WSJ). “Look at how the remdesivir situation unfolded nationally,” he said. “That was a terrible situation.”

New HHS COVID-19 Hospital Data Tracking System Is Creating Obstacles for Some States’ Hospitals

As we noted in a brief from last week, a document released on July 10 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said that it, and not the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would start to collect information each day about hospitals’ COVID-19 patients and additional relevant information, such as the number of ventilators and available beds each hospital has. This new protocol began on Wednesday, July 15 (NYT). According to reports by the Washington Post, “In a letter to the nation’s governors that says the National Guard could help improve hospitals’ data flow, HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Deborah Birx, the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force response coordinator, say they ordered the changes because some hospitals have failed to report the information daily or completely.”

Reports from hospitals across the country indicate that they were surprised by the change in the reporting structure (Kaiser Health News). The new HHS COVID-19 hospital data tracking system is through TeleTracking, based in Pennsylvania. According to Kansas Hospital Association spokesperson Cindy Samuelson, “From our perspective, these changes are big” adding, “We only found out Tuesday, and we had to update the data by Wednesday night—, less than 48 hours.” According to Missouri Hospital Association spokesperson Dave Dillon, the new HHS system is not available to the Missouri Hospital Association and is also “significantly different from the CDC system,” reports Scientific American. Dillon says, “The new datasets for reporting are not identical and in several cases are ill-defined” adding, “That has complicated hospitals’ efforts.” TeleTracking was awarded a $10 million contract for this project in a non-competitive bid in April, reports NPR.

Bonus Reads: “The proof is in the sewage: hundreds of Yosemite visitors may have had coronavirus,” (Guardian); and “How bats have outsmarted viruses—including coronaviruses—for 65 million years,” (Science).

Around the World

U.N. Suggests Basic Income Amid Pandemic

A temporary basic income for the world’s poorest 2.7 billion people in 132 developing countries would help slow the spread of the coronavirus by allowing them to stay home, according to a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Reuters). “Unprecedented times call for unprecedented social and economic measures. Introducing a temporary basic income for the world’s poorest people has emerged as one option,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “Bailouts and recovery plans cannot only focus on big markets and big business.” The report gives three possible options for establishing the temporary basic income: one, top-up existing average incomes; two, lump sum transfers linked to differences in the median standard of living; and three, uniform lump sum transfers.

Europe

U.S. and European Airlines Call for Virus Testing to Open Up Travel

Four of the biggest airlines in the United States and Europe have joined together to call for an international accord on coronavirus testing that would allow broad trans-Atlantic travel. According to Bloomberg, “Deutsche Lufthansa AG and commercial ally United Airlines Holdings Inc. joined with British Airways owner IAG SA and partner American Airlines Group Inc. to seek a U.S.-European Union testing program that would replace restrictions that prevent the recovery of commercial air travel.” In a letter sent to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and European Commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johansson, the airlines wrote: “Given the unquestioned importance of trans-Atlantic air travel to the global economy as well as to the economic recovery of our businesses, we believe it is critical to find a way to re-open air services between the U.S. and Europe.” The EU has banned visits by U.S. residents even after relaxing a ban on non-essential travel from 15 other countries, all which have lower coronavirus infection rates. Currently, Britain requires U.S. travelers to spend 14 days in quarantine. The U.S. is also preventing travel to the country by most Europeans.

Female Leaders Doing a Better Job at Crisis Management, Says ECB Chief

The European Central Bank’s (ECB) Christine Lagarde said that female leaders are doing a better job of managing the coronavirus crisis compared to male leaders (Guardian). Lagarde said the differences in the policies and communication throughout the crisis in countries led by women were “quite stunning” in an interview with the Washington Post. “I am going to be extremely biased. I’m not going to be a central banker at this very moment but I would say that for myself I’ve learned that women tend to do a better job,” she said. Lagarde used German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s frank and transparent conversation and scientific fact-based approach as an example and also mentioned the leaders of Taiwan, Belgium, and New Zealand as successfully managing their country’s response to the pandemic.

Africa

Lessons Learned from the Ebola Outbreak Helped, but Didn’t Stop, Coronavirus

In Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, health officials have been using the same tools and strategies they used to combat the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak to fight the novel coronavirus. By isolating people who test positive and quarantining those who may be infected, officials have been able to slow the spread of the virus when it first appeared in mid to late March. The incidence of COVID-19 in these three countries, between 2 to 5 cases per 10,000 people, is at least 12 times less than the rate in South Africa and 22 times less than the rate in the U.S. (Nature). But even after all that, cases are now rising even in these countries, probably due to the challenge of identifying cases in asymptomatic people along with the lack of resources in the healthcare system to protect the staff and care for those who need to be treated. The coronavirus is especially difficult to manage in impoverished communities where running water and electricity are nonexistent.

Asia and Oceania

Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan Announce Record Numbers of New Cases in Resurgence of Outbreak

Victoria, Australia confirmed more than 400 coronavirus cases on Thursday (Guardian). The previous day, Australia recorded over 500 cases, most of which were also in Victoria. Also on Thursday, the country recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus-related deaths in three months, with five people reported dead (Reuters). The capital city, Melbourne, started a six-week lockdown this month in an effort to stop the spread of the virus but cases are still increasing (WaPo). As of Wednesday, masks are required in public in Melbourne. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said on Wednesday that nearly 90 percent of people who tested positive between July 7 and July 21 did not self-isolate between when their symptoms began and when they were tested.

In Hong Kong, officials reported 113 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a daily record (Reuters). Over 100 of those cases were transmitted locally. As of midnight Wednesday, face masks will be mandatory in all indoor areas like malls and markets; masks were already required on public transport (Hong Kong Free Press).

In Japan, Tokyo, Governor Yuriko Koike told residents to say indoors as much as possible over the upcoming four-day weekend as cases in the city rose to over 10,000 (Bloomberg). Tokyo recorded 238 new cases on Wednesday and hospitalizations have increased almost five-fold in the past month. The four-day weekend was originally planned to celebrate the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games, which have now been postponed.

Nearly 1 in 4 New Delhi Residents May Have Had Coronavirus, Shows Study

A survey of a random sample of people showed that nearly one in four residents in the Indian capital of New Delhi may have been infected with the coronavirus (CNN). The survey took blood samples of 21,387 people across Delhi to test for antibodies. Of that sample, 23.48 percent were found to have COVID-19 antibodies, indicating that they had been exposed to the coronavirus. The study was conducted by India’s National Center for Disease Control and suggests that the actual number of cases across the city are more widespread that the official confirmed number reflects. As of Wednesday, Delhi had a total of 125,096 confirmed cases, but the results of the study suggest the true number could be closer to 4 million cases so far.

Americas

Bolivia Recovers Over 400 Bodies in 5 Days, Elections in Doubt

Police in Bolivia have collected over 400 bodies from streets and homes, most of which are believed to be COVID-19 victims, during a five day period, national police director Colonel Ivan Rojas said on Tuesday (AFP). Some 85 percent of the bodies were "positive cases for Covid-19 and cases with Covid symptoms, so they will be recorded as suspected cases," said Col Rojas. Between April 1 and July 19, more than 3,000 bodies were recovered outside of hospital settings and were either confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases. According to the national epidemiological office, the regions of Cochabamba and La Paz are seeing a “very rapid increase” in coronavirus cases. The increase could jeopardize the country’s planned elections, currently scheduled for September (Guardian). The elections were seen as key to stabilizing the country’s democracy following a year of political upheaval which saw the previous president, Evo Morales, forced by the military to resign as president.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Tests Positive for the Third Time

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for the third time after falling ill on July 7, a secretariat of the Communications Ministry said on Wednesday (Reuters). “The test carried out on the president yesterday, on the 21st, showed a positive result,” a statement said. “President Bolsonaro is still in good condition, accompanied by the presidency’s medical team,” it added.

U.S. Government & Politics

D.C. Expands Face Mask Requirement

On Wednesday, Washington D.C. expanded its face mask requirement as Mayor Muriel Bowswer issued an order requiring everyone over the age of two to wear masks when outside of their homes and likely to encounter other people as well as in common areas of apartment buildings (WaPo). The Washington Post writes, “It’s one of the strictest mask ordinances in the country — and came on the same day the city recorded 102 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily number since early June.”

GOP Considers, Wary of Short Term Extension of Unemployment Benefits

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the GOP was considering supporting an extension of the expanded $600 unemployment benefits which are set to expire at the end of July (NYT, NBC). Though Senate Republicans and the White House are discussing such a possibility, Republicans remain divided to fully opposed on the issue with many claiming it may disincentivize people from returning to work. It is unclear if Democrats, who seek a broader stimulus will agree to a temporary extension or if the GOP will be able to unify on such an extension itself. The White House suggested it would not support such a policy, with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows commenting, “We're really trying to look at trying to make sure that we have a comprehensive bill that deals with the issues. Any short-term extensions would defy the history of Congress, which would indicate that it would just be met with another short-term extension” (Hill). Republlican Senators including John Thune (R-SD), the second ranked GOP Senator have also suggested opposition to such an extension.

Texas Lawmakers Must Cut Budget to Account for Coronavirus Emergency Spending, Either Pulling from Rainy Day Fund or Cutting Services

Texas lawmakers are preparing to address the $11.6 billion gap in the state’s budget due to emergency spending during the pandemic. Adjustments will impact the current budget as well as the 2022-2023 budget to be written in January. As we have previously reported, states are already working without complete information of budgetary needs given the uncertainty of the virus. It is unclear whether states will receive additional relief funds from the federal government, an issue being debated by Congress this week. Further, Texas state legislators face budget adjustments as they look at reelection in November and the next legislative session beginning in January. Texas lawmakers can choose to pull money from the “rainy day fund,” the state’s savings account holding about $8.8 billion. Alternatively, money can be cut from current programs, which in the past have come from public education and health and human services. Public education and health and human services make up the largest buckets in the Texas budget, but cuts would likely be unpopular with voters amid the pandemic (Texas Tribune).

DOJ Indicts Two Chinese Nationals for, Among Other Things, Hacking Vaccine Research

On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced the indictment of two Chinese nationals, Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi, for hacking crimes including the targeting of U.S. companies involved in research of vaccines for coronavirus (Hill). The indictment was filed earlier in the month. The defendants worked for the Guangdong Province International Affairs Research Center in China. Assistant Attorney General John Demers said their acts ran “afoul of norms of acceptable state behavior in cyberspace, which the international community must address.”

U.S. Economy

Housing Market Reaches Record Highs in June, but Experts Caution Regarding Possible Future Drop

The housing market showed signs of rebounding with a 20.7 percent increase in sales of previously-owned homes from May to June, although a resurgence of the virus across the country could see these numbers decline over the next few months (WSJ). Other June indicators, including a 17 percent increase in home construction from May to June and a 19 percent increase in mortgage applications compared to 2019, signal a record spike in the housing industry. However, these numbers largely represent market shifts from before the recent surge of coronavirus cases across the South and West. Housing data reported in June generally reflects decisions made in April or May due to lengthy contract closing timelines. Many new homeowners are motivated by record-low mortgage rates, with the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage down to 2.98 percent in mid-July. The majority of buyers are young couples, families, and wealthy city residents, buying homes in the $250,000 to $500,000 range. However, real estate experts caution that there is a potential for a dip in the market given the recent surge in coronavirus cases, which could have widespread consequences for the U.S. economy. Additionally, fears of financial stability might disincentivize prospective buyers, as the first week of July saw 25 percent of Americans missing home payments or worried about missing the next one. “We’re both excited and terrified at the same time,” said Daniel Packer, a recent first-time homeowner.

Coronavirus Generated Decline in U.S. Factory Jobs Despite Driving Calls for Regenerating U.S.-Based Supply Lines

Despite calls from the Trump administration and others to bring supply lines and industry back to the United States, factory jobs have been hard hit during the pandemic. Many indicators point to the industry’s struggle, with 300,000 less factory jobs now than in January 2017, the lowest recorded foreign direct investment in the U.S. since 2006, declining corporate investment, and a drop in factory output in 2019. Rather than reshore jobs, experts say Trump’s trade war with China pushed companies to outsource to different foreign markets with lower costs, including Vietnam and Mexico. When the coronavirus hit, manufacturing jobs fell dramatically, as companies chose to layoff workers and slow production. Some companies, such as Williams Sonoma, have opened new U.S. factories to avoid supply chain shortages amidst global uncertainty. However, many others feel that the best way to secure supply chains is to decentralize operations throughout the world, and not rely on the U.S. alone. “If you want to hedge your risks, you need to stay global,” said Chris Rogers, a trade analyst at Panjiva (NYT).

Texas Retailers Get Creative With Reopenings; Sales Show Mixed Results

Texas business owners, eager to reopen stores and keep workers employed, got creative when given vague guidelines on how to safely operate during the pandemic. Some stores, such as Houston’s Land Sea & Sky, chose to keep people out of their shop, instead conducting business on the sidewalk and encouraging customers to call ahead to see products. Record store Cactus Music allows customers inside, requiring people to wear masks, and encouraging the use of hand sanitizer and contactless payment options. National retailer Bass Pro Shops kept many stores open throughout the pandemic, and now conducts temperature checks on employees, requires masks, and installed face shields at checkout counters. Chloe Dao Boutique, a clothing store, has seen an uptick in sales of fashionable masks, and is committed to disinfecting clothes and encouraging more online orders. While Land Sea & Sky has seen a surge in sales, with owner Marcie Hysinger saying “it’s like Christmas,” others including Cactus Music note that sales are down, and worry about future mandated closings as cases continue to rise in Texas (WSJ).

U.S. Society

Georgetown Offers Tuition Reduction to Undergraduate Students for Fall 2020

In an announcement on Tuesday, Georgetown University said it would offer a 10 percent tuition reduction to undergraduate students living off-campus for the fall semester (WaPo). The university is reserving most on-campus housing for first-year students, as well as a small number of students who are unable to attend school from home. The university is offering the tuition reduction to offset services that students would otherwise access if they were on campus, including computer labs and food services. The move comes after significant pressure from students to lower tuition rates while classes remain online and students are unable to have a traditional in-person experience. Georgetown University tuition currently runs about $28,600 per semester. However, the tuition reduction does not apply to graduate students, who sometimes pay higher tuition rates and will also be taking classes online this fall. Graduate students at institutions around the country have recently called for tuition reductions, including Princeton and University of Texas at Austin.

19 Nuns Die from COVID-19 at Convents in Michigan and Wisconsin

Since the start of the pandemic, 13 nuns have died from COVID-19 at the Felician Sisters convent outside of Detroit, Michigan. The sisters were between 69 to 99 years old, and lived on the 360-acre facility home to about 50 nuns. The convent implemented a no-visitors rule in March and limited group activities as the coronavirus spread around the country. At least 30 sisters at the convent were infected with the virus, with most recovering but some still suffering from ongoing effects. “It went through like wildfire,” said Sister Andrew from the Felician Sisters (CBS, Time). Our Lady of Angels Convent in Greenfield, Wisconsin experienced a similar outbreak, with six sisters dying from COVID-19 between April and May. The nuns were from the School Sisters of St. Francis and the School Sisters of Notre Dame, all between the ages of 83 and 102. All of the sisters at the Wisconsin facility were diagnosed postmortem (CNN, CNN). On Wednesday, the New York Times reported a total of 83,194 cases in Michigan, and 47,893 in Wisconsin (NYT).

Analysis & Arguments

Nick Martin examines how a history of broken treaties fuels pandemics in Indian Country (New Republic).

Jennifer Senior interviews Anthony Fauci and discusses the ugly emails he receives (NYT).

The National Review writes that Trump’s failures on coronavirus response are sinking hispresidency (National Review).

Olga Khazan writes on the experience of office workers who have returned to work (Atlantic).

Leah Douglas maps coronavirus outbreaks in the food system (FERN).

Jocelyn Ashford outlines how to include more Black and minority participants in clinical trials (STAT).

Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP weighs in on the cloth face mask discussion during the pandemic.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer calls for a national mask mandate (NYT).

Maggie Koerth explores the uncertainties of negotiating everyday risks during the pandemic (538).

Readers can send in tips, critiques, questions, and suggestions to coronavirusbrief@newamerica.org.

The Brief is edited by Melissa Salyk-Virk and David Sterman and co-edited by Emily Schneider and Narisara Murray, with Brianna Kablack and Senior Editor Peter Bergen.

Read previous briefs here and stream and subscribe to our weekly podcast here.

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