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June 14, 2021 - Brief Issue 212

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

Most Americans Support Mandatory Vaccines For Schools, Says Survey (Health & Science)

Experts Warn of Potentially Fleeting Coronavirus Relief in States With Low Vaccination Rates (Health & Science)

G7 Leaders Pledge Vaccines to Poorer Countries, Call Out China (Around the World)

Factory Workers Bear Brunt of Coronavirus Across Southeast Asia (Around the World)

Idaho Governor Faces GOP Mutiny Over Coronavirus Restrictions  (U.S. Government & Politics)

Airport Daily Screenings Reach 2 Million For First Time Since Pandemic’s Beginning (U.S. Economy)

Man Sentenced to 10 Years For Attacking Man Who Asked Him To Pull Up His Mask (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 33,462,038 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 599,769 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 374,398,105 vaccine doses, with 52.4% of Americans having received their first vaccine dose and 43.4% fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 175,966,572 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 3,804,259 deaths.

Most Americans Support Mandatory Vaccines For Schools, Says Survey

A Gallup poll published Friday suggests that most Americans support mandatory vaccinations for high school and college students returning to campuses in the fall. In a poll conducted between May 18 and 23, 61% of more than 3,500 people surveyed support required immunizations for college students and 56% for high school students. A slight majority also supported mandatory vaccinations for middle school students, with 51% in support. 

Support for the hypothetical measure appeared to be influenced by the vaccine status of respondents. Democrats also tended to support the proposal more than Republicans. The polling was conducted shortly after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer vaccine for people as young as 12. 

It remains to be seen whether vaccines will be be made available for children under the age of 12 in time for the start of the fall semester. Members of a FDA advisory panel urged faster vaccine approvals in light of the threat of a fall surge possibly brought on by new variants of the coronavirus (WaPo).

Experts Warn of Potentially Fleeting Coronavirus Relief in States With Low Vaccination Rates

With new coronavirus cases declining nationwide, experts warn that the respite may not last in areas with low vaccination rates. Of the eight states — Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Missouri, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Wyoming — to have seen an increase in infections in recent weeks, all but Hawaii have a lower vaccination rate than the national average of 43%. Natural immunity from widespread infection may also be playing a role, with Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs telling AP that he estimates that around 60% of his state’s residents have “some underlying immunity.” 

“We certainly are getting some population benefit from our previous cases, but we paid for it,” said Dobbs. “We paid for it with deaths.” 

With more than 7,300 dead from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, Mississippi has the sixth highest coronavirus death rate in the country. Only around 850,000 Mississippians have received shots, representing around 28% of the population. The state has nonetheless seen an 18% drop in new cases in the past two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins data.

But Dr. Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University, said she is worried that natural immunity from previous coronavirus exposure may not persist. Luck may soon run out for areas with low adherence to immunization guidelines.

“Just because we’re lucky in June doesn’t mean we’ll continue to be lucky come the late fall and winter,” said Wen, the former health commissioner for Baltimore. “We could well have variants here that are more transmissible, more virulent and those who do not have immunity or have waning immunity could be susceptible once again.”

Dr. Albert Ko, who chairs the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale, stressed the importance of not relying on naturally-occurring antibodies from previous infections to stay healthy, adding that former Covid-19 patients ought to get vaccinated. “I think it is a fallacy that many people have that recovery means they no longer need to be vaccinated,” she said (AP).

Around the World

G7 Leaders Pledge Vaccines to Poorer Countries, Call Out China 

Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations pledged to lead the world out of the coronavirus pandemic, agreeing to send more than 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to poorer nations, among other pledges. The group’s first face-to-face meeting in two years, held over three days in southwest England, was meant to demonstrate that international cooperation is back and that the club of wealthy democracies can be “a better friend to poorer nations than authoritarian rivals such as China,” as AP writes. However, critics pointed out that the promise of 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines that come both directly from the G7 countries and through COVAX, the global vaccine sharing initiative, still falls short of the 11 billion doses the World Health Organization says is needed to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population (Reuters). Half of the billion-dose pledge is coming from the United States and 100 million doses are coming from Britain. Canada said it also would give 100 million doses, while France pledged 60 million. Altogether, the leaders said they pledged 870 million doses “directly over the next year,” with further contributions taking the total to the “equivalent of over 1 billion doses.” 

The G7 also called on a full and thorough investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China, along with chiding the country for its human rights abuses in its Xinjiang region. The leaders also called on Beijing to keep a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong (Reuters). The G7 said a transparent, expert-led Phase 2 Covid-19 Origins study to be convened by the World Health Organization, with U.S. President Joe Biden saying it was not yet certain whether or not "a bat interfacing with animals and the environment... caused this COVID-19, or whether it was an experiment gone awry in a laboratory" and that “we haven’t had access to the laboratories.” 

Factory Workers Bear Brunt of Coronavirus Across Southeast Asia 

Across southeast Asia, countries that had avoided the worst of the pandemic last year are now facing new waves of coronavirus infections fueled by more contagious variants and a relaxing of restrictions put in place before. Several countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia, are experiencing outbreak clusters among factory workers at manufacturing sites (Guardian). In Vietnam, cases have tripled since the start of May, fueled partly by outbreaks in factories. In Malaysia, the government imposed a lockdown this month as daily cases surpassed 9,000. Even so, the country’s manufacturing sector has been permitted to continue to operate at limited capacity even as many workers become infected. In Thailand, workers at more than 130 factories were infected. Many factory workers are migrant workers who travel to cities or industrial centers to find work to support their families; for most, the economic hardships created by the pandemic are just as bad as the virus. Even as cases continue to rise across the region, access to vaccines remains limited. Cambodia has vaccinated almost 14% of its population, which is the highest percentage in the region, thanks to its close relationship with China, which provided the doses so far. By comparison, Thailand has fully vaccinated less than 2.5% of its population.

Haiti Hit by Surge in Cases with No Vaccines in Sight

The average number of daily new cases has more than doubled in the past two weeks in Haiti as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere struggles to contain a new wave of the coronavirus. While the official number -- 153 new cases -- is relatively low for the population of 11.5 million, health experts agree that it is a severe undercount as testing capacity is limited and many cases are unreported (NYT). Haiti’s government has not been able to administer a single dose of any Covid-19 vaccines but it has re-established a task force and requested 130,000 doses of the vaccine from COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing initiative, after it previously refused an offer for help. Haiti seemed to have missed the worst of the pandemic last year and had relatively few cases. As a result, the government eased restrictions and disbanded its presidential coronavirus panel. Carnival celebrations were held without any curfews or mask policy enforced. Now, hospitals do not have enough beds, or oxygen supplies, to treat the many patients who need help. Meanwhile, the political situation is deteriorating as protestors gather in the capital to demand the removal of President Jovenel Moïse, who has ruled by decree for more than a year. Gang violence and kidnappings are on the rise and the hurricane season just started this month.

U.S. Government & Politics

Idaho Governor Faces GOP Mutiny Over Coronavirus Restrictions 

Politico reports that Idaho Governor Brad Little is facing an uphill battle from his lieutenant governor in the run-up to the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary. Coronavirus-related public health restrictions have emerged as the pivotal issue in the race as Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin accuses Governor Little of restricting personal freedom. Unlike most states, the two offices do not share a common ticket in elections. 

“Our party is struggling with its identity. It’s going to come to an ugly head,” said Kay Lynn Smith, the GOP chair in rural Butte County. “We are so bipolar right now. We are one of the big strongholds for the ultra-conservatives and they’re looking to make this their kingdom,” she said. “Moderates and a lot of the people who had the money and the power are aging out and losing interest. They’re not interested in supporting a party with radicals.”

Among McGeachin’s latest swipes against her boss was issuing a ban on any local government from enforcing mask mandates while the governor briefly traveled outside the state for a Republican governor’s conference in late May. She has battled against the governor since the early days of the pandemic, when she attacked Little over his shortly-lived stay-at-home order. 

“The tension between the governor and the lieutenant governor is to be expected because they are of completely different political persuasions,” said Dean Mortimer, a Republican and former state senator and representative. Idaho Republican political operative China Gum told Politico that McGeachin’s popularity stems from a political agenda rooted in support for former President Donald Trump while Little reflects an older, more moderate GOP. 

“A lot of people were saying he’s not DeSantis enough,” said Gum, referring to the Floridan governor who essentially banned local governments from implementing mask mandates in his state. “I don’t understand why Brad Little has been more California in his approach, more shut-down on this issue.”

Idaho has generally fared well throughout the pandemic. Under Little’s governorship, the state has the six-lowest unemployment rate in the country and 41st highest Covid-19 death rate. But Rebecca Crea, the GOP chair in Lewis County, said that Little’s response to the pandemic had rightfully earned him the RINO (Republican in Name Only) designation. She said:  “You had people not paying attention and they vote for people simply because they have a cowboy hat, and Little is a rancher… We want him to be more of a governor than he is. Janice has been for the people all the time. She’s on the ground. She knows the people. And everyone loves her” (Politico).

U.S. Economy

Airport Daily Screenings Reach 2 Million For First Time Since Pandemic’s Beginning

Around two million people crossed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in the nation’s airports on Friday, marking the largest number of air passengers in a single day since March 2020. With air travel rebounding after falling by as much as 95% on some days from pre-pandemic averages, the TSA has been scrambling to hire staff to accommodate the uptick. 

“TSA stands ready to provide a safe and secure screening process as part of the overall travel experience,” said acting TSA administrator Darby LaJoye in a statement. 

A total of 8,119 TSA workers have tested for the coronavirus over the past 15 months, with 16 deaths. Additionally, one screening contractor also died from Covid-19. 

Friday’s numbers fell short of 2.5 million people normally screened each day prior to the pandemic. They also represented just three quarters of the volume seen on the same day in 2019. In a move celebrated by labor activists, United Airlines announced on the same day that they did not anticipate any furloughs once congressional payroll protections expire in September.

“This program should serve as a model for the future,” said Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants. “Now that we’re on our way out of the worst crisis in aviation history, we look forward to building a just recovery that respects the contributions of all the workers who keep us flying high.”

In the meantime, the airline industry has been pushing for laxer pandemic border restrictions in a bid to fully resume international flights. As we noted last week, it was reported on Tuesday that the White House Covid Response Team and the National Security Council will lead “expert” working groups to help determine when and how to lift travel bans (WaPo).

U.S. Society

Man Sentenced to 10 Years For Attacking Man Who Asked Him To Pull Up His Mask

An Iowa man was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment last week for assaulting a man over a masking request. Shane Wayne Michael attacked Mark Dinning’s eyes and genitals in November after the latter asked him to pull his mask over his noes at an eyeglasses shop in Des Moines. According to Dinning, Michael also spit and coughed in his face, telling him: “If I have it, you have it!” 

Although Michael claimed that Dinning was the aggressor in the confrontation in the store’s parking lot, multiple witnesses corroborated Dinning’s version of events. Evidence also included a photo of Dinning’s left eye swollen shut from an attempted gouging during the altercation. Michael pleaded not guilty prior to his conviction last month. 

The sentence was among the most severe yet imposed over altercations stemming from mask mandates. In April, Debra Hunter of Duval County, Florida was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment for intentionally coughing on a customer at a Pier 1 store on June 25, 2020. Last year, three people were charged over the May 2020 murder of a Family Dollar security guard in Flint, Michigan after Calvin Munerlyn, 43, was shot after telling a customer to put a mask on her child (WaPo). 

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Hospital Vaccine Mandate

A Texas federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit against the Houston Methodist hospital system brought forth by employees opposed to a workplace vaccine mandate. As we have previously noted, 117 Houston Methodist employees filed a lawsuit against Houston Methodist for “forcing its employees to be human ‘guinea pigs’ as a condition for continued employment.” The hospital system suspended 178 of its nearly 26,000 employees last week who had failed to receive immunizations in time for the deadline.

U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes, in the Southern District of Texas, ruled in the hospital’s favor. “The hospital’s employees are not participants in a human trial,” Judge Hughes wrote. “Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the Covid-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer.”

Although federal guidelines state that vaccine mandates at work are legal, Wednesday’s ruling was among the first to explicitly rule in favor of employers. Dr. Marc Boom, chief executive of Houston Methodist, said on Saturday ahead of the ruling: “Our employees and physicians made their decisions for our patients, who are always at the center of everything we do” (NYT).

Analysis & Arguments

Roxanne Khamsi suggests keeping an open mind about using different mRNA vaccines for the first and second doses (NYT).

Alex de Waal argues that pandemic prevention is a risky business liable to create future outbreaks through lab leaks (Foreign Policy).

 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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