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June 29, 2021 - Brief Issue 221
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
Study Suggests Mixing and Matching Vaccines Works (Health & Science)
Young People in U.S. Becoming Barrier to Mass Immunity (Health & Science)
WHO: Keep Wearing Masks (Health & Science)
Delta Variant Spreads Across Africa (Around the World)
Hong Kong Bans Passenger Flights from the U.K. (Around the World)
OSHA Covid Rule Originally Intended to Protect All Workers (U.S. Government & Politics)
UBS Says It Will Maintain Hybrid Work (U.S. Economy)
As Pandemic Wanes, Buffets Make a Return (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 33,640,576 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 604,115 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 324,414,371 vaccine doses, with 54.1% of Americans having received their first vaccine dose and 46.3% fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 181,436,184 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 3,929,829 deaths.
Study Suggests Mixing and Matching Vaccines Works
Early data from a British study suggests that mixing doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines provides an immune response (NYT). The Times writes, “In the trial, volunteers produced high levels of antibodies and immune cells after getting one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and one dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot. Administering the vaccines in either order is likely to provide potent protection, Dr. Matthew Snape, a vaccine expert at the University of Oxford, said at a news conference on Monday.” Dr. Snape began his trials in February. He noted that although the data is promising and may help where getting someone two doses of the same vaccine is impractical, the preference should still be for the well proven course of providing two doses of the same vaccine.
Young People in U.S. Becoming Barrier to Mass Immunity
Many young adults in the U.S. are foregoing Covid-19 vaccinations for a variety of reasons and health officials are attempting to change their minds in order to reach mass immunity (NYT). Federal officials say increasing the low vaccination rates among Americans in their late teens and 20s is essential to keeping infection numbers low, especially as the more infectious Delta variant makes its rounds. In a federal report released last week, just over one-third of adults ages 18 to 39 reported being vaccinated, with especially low rates among those who are Black; among people 24 or younger; and among those who had lower incomes, less education and no health insurance. “I think that, for the younger generation, we now really have to build the case for them to be vaccinated,” said Dr. Sarah Van Orman, the chief health officer for the University of Southern California’s student health system. “I think we have a long ways to go for that.” According to interviews done by the New York Times, reasons cited by young people for not getting vaccinated ranged from being skeptical of side effects of the vaccine, having other priorities and a lack of time, not being insured or connected to a healthcare system, and feeling like they weren’t at risk.
WHO: Keep Wearing Masks
World Health Organization (WHO) officials have urged even fully vaccinated people to continue wearing masks and taking other precautions to prevent infection as concern over the most contagious variant to date grows. The rise of new variants “makes it even more urgent that we use all the tools at our disposal to prevent transmission,” including consistent use of both vaccination and public health and social measures, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, said at a news briefing on Friday. Dr. Mariângela Simão, the WHO’s assistant director-general for access to medicines, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, said that even vaccinated people should continue to consistently wear masks, avoid crowds and maintain social distance from others, make sure they are in well-ventilated spaces, wash hands frequently, and avoid sneezing or coughing around other people, according to the New York Times. The comments were made in the context of broader statements about the inequitable distribution of vaccines around the world. But even in countries where vaccination rates are high, new outbreaks are being driven by new variants. In Israel, which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, a rise in cases attributed to the Delta variant has led the government to reimpose mask mandates indoors and at large outdoor gatherings.
Around the World
Delta Variant Spreads Across Africa
The more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly across Africa among the largely unvaccinated population. Epidemiologists and political leaders are worried that the continent could face a dire situation similar to the one that unfolded in Africa in the spring. Already, ICU beds are in short supply and oxygen supplies are dwindling. “It is frightening to see what is going on across the continent,” said John Nkengasong, the director of the Africa CDC. “This is the first time that we are beginning to see countries report that their health system…the hospitals are completely overwhelmed” (WSJ). At least 20 countries across the continent are experiencing surges in infections that have already surpassed or are projected to top earlier peaks, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the past week, Covid-19 infections on the continent climbed by 31%, while the number of deaths rose by 19%, the agency said. Bonus Read: “The Night the Oxygen Ran Out,” (NYT).
Hong Kong Bans Passenger Flights from the U.K.
In a statement Monday, Hong Kong said it will ban all passenger flights from the U.K. starting Thursday in an effort to curb the spread of new variants of the coronavirus (AP). The statement classified the U.K. as “extremely high risk” because of the “recent rebound of the epidemic situation in the U.K. and the widespread delta variant virus strain there.” Under the classification, people who have been in the U.K. for more than two hours will be restricted from boarding passenger flights to Hong Kong. The ban comes amid heightened tensions between the U.K. and China over the semi-autonomous Hong Kong, which was a British colony until 1997, when it was handed over to China.
Abu Dhabi Limits Access to Public Places for Unvaccinated People
Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, announced that a wide range of public places will soon be accessible only to those who have been vaccinated against coronavirus (AP). On Monday, authorities said that as of August 20, shopping malls, restaurants, cafes, sporting activities, museums, gyms, schools, and universities will only be open to people who have received their immunization. Unvaccinated individuals will effectively be barred from entering any business except supermarkets and pharmacies. The government says at least 93% of Abu Dhabi’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.
U.S. Government & Politics
OSHA Covid Rule Originally Intended to Protect All Workers, Draft Shows
Bloomberg Law reports that the original version of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance issued on June 10th would have protected all workers while the final version only protects healthcare workers (Bloomberg Law). A draft version of the guidance provided to the White House in April, according to Bloomberg Law, “made it clear Occupational Safety and Health Administration staff had concluded a ‘grave danger’ threatened the health of all U.S. workers, not just workers in health care who had been deemed essential during the darkest days of the pandemic.” The draft read, “OSHA has determined that employee exposure to this new hazard, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) presents a grave danger in every shared workplace in the United States.” A U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson defended the final version of the guidance that limited protections to health care workers, saying, “On June 10, OSHA announced that it could make the most impact by issuing an emergency temporary standard focused on healthcare settings.” The spokesperson added, “This approach closely follows the CDC’s guidance for healthcare workers and the science, which tells us that those who come into regular contact with people either suspected of having or being treated for COVID-19, are most at risk.”
Biden Won’t Attend Tokyo Olympics, But Decision Not Unusual Despite Pandemic
President Biden will not attend the Tokyo Olympics, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated during a White House briefing on Monday (Politico). Psaki stated, “The president is not planning to attend the games. He will certainly be rooting for the athletes,” adding, “We will have a delegation from the United States as we have historically had, but we will continue to also convey the public health guidelines and guidance that we’ve been delivering out there about only essential travel.” It is still possible that first lady Jill Biden will lead the delegation. Though the pandemic shapes the discussion of the Olympics, Biden’s decision is not unusual. The U.S. delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics were led by then-Vice President Mike Pence. Politico also notes, “For the 2016 Summer Games, President Barack Obama skipped the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, instead sending his secretary of State, John Kerry, to lead the U.S. delegation. For the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the highest-ranking member from the Obama administration was Deputy Secretary of State William Burns.”
U.S. Economy
Bonus Read: “Nasdaq Moves Toward Record,” (WSJ).
UBS Says It Will Maintain Hybrid Work
UBS Group, a Swiss bank with a large number of employees in the U.S., has decided to allow two third of its workers to continue working from home and the office, having decided that it will not harm productivity (WSJ). The decision was announced internally on Monday. Other banks including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs have pushed for workers to return to the office. UBS’ announcement said that remote work will still require line manager and other approvals and “doesn’t mean that you can work wherever and whenever you want.”
Bonus Read: “Tight Labor Market Returns the Upper Hand to American Workers,” (WSJ).
U.S. Society
As Pandemic Wanes, Buffets Make a Return
One early casualty of the pandemic was the buffet with its self-serve dynamic, but the Wall Street Journal reports that buffets are beginning to make a return (WSJ). In one sign of the change, Las Vegas allowed buffets to reopen in May. However, there are changes. The Journal writes about one now opened Vegas buffet, “Bacchanal Buffet, a $74.99-a-head smorgasbord of crab legs, shrimp cocktail and prime rib at Caesars Entertainment Inc.’s namesake casino in Las Vegas, is one of them, taking bookings for the first time since 2012. The company said it introduced a reservation system to limit wait times and reduce the amount of guests in line. It is also limiting walk-in customers.” Meanwhile, Golden Corral, which identifies itself as the largest buffet chain in the U.S., has new policies requiring “gloves in nearly all buffet stations and replacement of serving utensils every 20 minutes” and only allowing staff to operate its famous chocolate fountains.
Experts Worry Rare But Potentially Fatal Rhabdomyolysis May Have a Post-Pandemic Moment as People Return to Exercise
Experts are concerned that cases of rhabdomyolysis also known as Rhabdo, a rare but potentially fatal condition that can occur when people exercise too hard without adequate preparation, may increase as people return to exercise and try to drop the pandemic pounds (WaPo). The Post explains, “Rhabdo results from overexertion typically brought on by repetitive, unfamiliar movement that stresses muscle cells to the point at which they essentially burst and die. The cells then leak their toxic contents — especially creatine kinase (a muscle enzyme) myoglobin (a muscle protein) — into the bloodstream, with potentially fatal results.” It adds, “There are roughly 42,000 cases of rhabdomyolysis a year among U.S. adults, but experts worry that the condition has found a fertile moment this summer among Americans experiencing weight gain. According to one 2021 study, pandemic stay-at-home orders led to a decline in physical activity. Another found that participants had gained an average of 1.5 pounds per month that they sheltered in place.” Maureen Brogan, associate professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and a nephrologist at Montefiore Health System told the Post, “I’m worried that there might be a spike with people going back into it with the reopenings.” Faddish and extreme exercise regimes are often seen as a particular site of risk, but occasionally cases have emerged with less intensive forms of exercise as well.
Bonus Read: “She Wanted to Stay. Her Landlord Wanted Her Out.” (WaPo).
Analysis & Arguments
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