No images? Click here Click here to subscribe to the daily brief. September 22, 2021 - Brief Issue 239 The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University. Please consider making a donation to support our ongoing analysis of the most important news and headlines surrounding Covid-19. Top Headlines Delta Variant is Dominant Worldwide, Says WHO (Health & Science) U.S. Lacks Rapid Testing (Health & Science) Brazilian Health Minister Tests Positive at U.N. Meeting in New York (Around the World) EU Set to Recognize UK’s Covid Pass (Around the World) Melbourne Tightens Security Over Anti-Lockdown Protests (Around the World) Chinese City of 10 Million Closes Over One Covid Case (Around the World) At U.N. Biden Calls for Unity and Effort on Pandemic, Touting a U.S. Move Away From War (U.S. Government & Politics) Health Secretary Xavier Becerra Takes Backseat on Covid Policy (U.S. Government & Politics) Google to Buy New York City Office Building (U.S. Economy) College Students Tell the Wall Street Journal About Their Covid Experience (U.S. Society) Health & Science There have been 42,415,398 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 678,517 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 386,780,816 vaccine doses, with 63.9% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 54.8% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 76.6% have received at least one dose, and 66% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 229,602,579 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 4,710,422 deaths. Delta Variant is Dominant Worldwide, Says WHO The Delta variant is now “by far” the world’s most dominant strain of coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) top scientist, Maria Van Kerkhove (WaPo). Van Kerkhove said on Tuesday that “less than 1 percent of the sequences that are available right now are alpha, beta and gamma,” referring to the three other variants the organization considers “of concern.” The Delta variant is now in 185 countries and as we covered in an earlier brief this week, accounts for almost all cases in the United States. The WHO also said that it is downgrading other virus variants, Eta, Iota, and Kappa, to indicate that they “no longer pose a major added risk to global public health;” but this also demonstrates how Delta is “out-competing” and “replacing” everything else. U.S. Lacks Rapid Testing As other countries continue to ease restrictions and push vaccinations, an important tool in fighting outbreaks is emerging: rapid testing (NYT). Rapid testing, or antigen testing, allows people to know within minutes if they are carrying enough of the Covid-19 virus to be contagious. Much of Western Europe offers rapid testing to residents at approved sites, some of which are just tents in public parks, that conduct the test and email certified results within minutes, often for free or for very low cost. In some countries, like France and Germany, a negative test is required for certain activities, like attending cultural events or dining indoors. Some health experts believe that the testing shortage in the U.S. could be contributing to the spread of Covid-19, with recent outbreaks in the U.S. being much worse than those in Europe in recent months, even though Europe’s vaccination rate is only slightly higher. According to analysis in the journal Science Advances, testing frequency matters more for reducing the spread of Covid-19 than test sensitivity, which is often cited as a benefit of PCR tests, which take longer to process than rapid antigen testing. The authors of that study found that “effective screening depends largely on frequency of testing and speed of reporting and is only marginally improved by high test sensitivity.” One issue contributing to the lack of rapid tests in the U.S. is the bureaucratic process at the FDA. As the New York Times, writes, “For the most part, the F.D.A. still uses the same cumbersome process for approving Covid tests that it uses for high-tech medical devices. To survive that process, the rapid tests must demonstrate that they are nearly as sensitive as P.C.R. tests, which they are not.” But, scientists point out, rapid tests can still identify about 98% of cases in which a person is infectious, which would still sharply curb the spread of the virus. One way to increase access to rapid tests would be for President Biden to use an executive order to reclassify rapid tests as a public health tool instead of a medical device, which would allow companies that are currently selling tests in Europe to enter the U.S. market, increasing the supply and lowering costs. Around the World Brazilian Health Minister Tests Positive at U.N. Meeting in New York On Tuesday, Brazil’s health minister, Marcelo Quiroga, tested positive for Covid-19 in New York, where he was attending the U.N. General Assembly (Reuters). Quiroga’s test results came right after Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, spoke in front of the Assembly and flouted the requirement for all attendees to be vaccinated. Bolsonaro has said several times over the last week that he is unvaccinated and that getting a shot is a personal medical decision (Guardian). The U.N. General Assembly said it was requiring all attendees to be vaccinated but was operating on the “honor system.” Quiroga was photographed several times with Bolsonaro and first lady, Michele Bolsonaro, this week and had breakfast on Monday with several employees of investment funds in New York. Bonus Read: “COVID-19 vaccine skeptic Bolsonaro gets a pass at U.N. but not New York restaurants,” (Reuters). EU Set to Recognize UK’s Covid Pass Almost two months after applying to the European Commission, UK officials said on Tuesday that they believed Brussels would “shortly” recognize the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) Covid pass as proof of vaccination (Guardian) The European Union has its own digital pass that is accepted across the 27-nation bloc. If the European Commission approves the application from the UK, then all 27 member states and 16 non-EU countries would automatically allow entry to visitors from England and Wales using the NHS Covid pass which contains a QR code. The approval would relieve British tourists from trying to find a solution to show proof of vaccination in countries where dining out or visiting cultural venues require proof of vaccination. Currently, in some places, British tourists must show proof of a negative covid test taken within the past 24 hours in order to eat at a restaurant or visit a museum or attend a sporting event. Melbourne Tightens Security Over Anti-Lockdown Protests Police in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, attempted to shut down protests over Covid-19 lockdowns for the third day in a row on Wednesday. On Tuesday, police arrested more than 60 people after over 2,000 protestors damaged property and blocked a busy freeway. Protesters are demonstrating against the most recent lockdown measure, which included closing all construction sites for two weeks in hopes of limiting the spread of Covid-19 (Reuters). Authorities also announced that vaccines would be mandatory for construction workers. By early afternoon Wednesday, several hundred protesters had gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial near the center of the city honoring service in war. "There has been a couple of arrests," Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent told radio station 3AW. Bonus Read: “‘An iron curtain’: Australia’s covid rules are stranding people at state borders,” (WaPo). Chinese City of 10 Million Closes Over One Covid Case Harbin, a city of 10 million people in northern China, has ordered gyms, cinemas, bathhouses, and other leisure venues to close after a single resident was confirmed to have Covid-19 (NYT). The Chinese government has taken a “zero tolerance” approach to fighting the pandemic that seeks to take swift action against even small outbreaks. In spite of this, scattered outbreaks across the country have continued. Harbin authorities announced on Tuesday that residents should not leave the city “unless necessary.” China has limited travel inside of the country as one tool for avoiding surges in infections. U.S. Government & Politics At U.N. Biden Calls for Unity and Effort on Pandemic, Touting a U.S. Move Away From War On Tuesday, President Joe Biden spoke before the United Nations in a speech in which he emphasized the need for global unity on confronting the pandemic and discussed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan (WaPo, NYT). Biden counterposed his desire for greater diplomatic effort with his proclaimed moves to bring America off a war footing, stating, “We’ve ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan, and as we close this era of endless war we are opening an era of endless diplomacy.” Biden asserted, “We’ve turned the page. All the unmatched strength, energy and commitment, will and resources of our nation are now fully and squarely focused on what’s ahead of us, not what was behind.” Prominent among the issues he sees as ahead of the world is the pandemic. Biden stated, “I know this — as we look ahead, we will lead — we will lead on all of the greatest challenges of our time, from covid to climate, peace and security, human dignity and human rights, but we will not go it alone.” He emphasized, “We must choose to do more than we think we can do alone so that we accomplish what we must together,” emphasizing “Ending this pandemic and making sure we’re better prepared for the next one” along with climate change as key issue areas. Biden closed his speech by saying, that his speech was the first in “20 years with the United States not at war.” The line drew applause. However, this week the U.S. conducted an airstrike in Syria and continues to have troops in Iraq, Syria, and other countries. Matt Duss, foreign policy adviser for Senator Bernie Sanders, tweeted critically of the line, “The US remains at war in multiple countries under the 2001 AUMF.” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra Takes Backseat on Covid Policy Politico reports that Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is taking a backseat in the Biden administration’s deliberations over Covid policy (Politico). Politico writes that “when Biden’s senior health officials gathered one Sunday in August to make the high-stakes decision that all adults should get Covid-19 booster shots, Becerra wasn’t included on the call.” Instead Becerra was touting the administration’s broader agenda on a tour of the east coast. Politico writes, “The episode, described by two administration officials, was emblematic of Becerra’s first six months atop the Department of Health and Human Services. During a period dominated by difficult choices and intense debates over the direction of the pandemic response, the former lawmaker and California attorney general has ceded much of the authority to the White House and government scientists — and seldom been the one giving orders.” The officials expressed criticism that Becerra’s limited role “has left the government without a strong intermediary between a fast-moving White House and HHS’ methodical scientific agencies — contributing to breakdowns in coordination that have hampered the response and fueled accusations of political interference.” An anonymous source close to the pandemic response told Politico, “They brief him,” adding, “But he’s not a decider on response activities.” U.S. Economy Google to Buy New York City Office Building Amid the pandemic and immense interest in remote work, Google is planning to buy a $2.1 billion office in New York City (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal reports, “The deal for the new building on Manhattan’s West Side is the most expensive sale of a single U.S. office building since the start of the pandemic—and one of the priciest in U.S. history, according to data company Real Capital Analytics.” Google had previously been leasing the building. The decision is notable because Google has been supportive of the role of remote work. The Wall Street Journal writes, “Google has embraced remote work more aggressively than many large-company peers, letting employees work at home since the spring of 2020. Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google parent Alphabet Inc., said last month that the company would delay its return to the office until January.” Bonus Read: “‘Can’t Compete’: Why Hiring for Child Care Is a Huge Struggle,” (NYT). U.S. Society College Students Tell the Wall Street Journal About Their Covid Experience The Wall Street Journal interviewed a number of college students about their experiences of studying during the pandemic (WSJ). Jenniviv Bansah, a senior in Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration told the Journal “the whole social scene of college was totally decimated by the pandemic,” but added that “there were pros as well as cons.” Among other pros she pointed to the benefits of online classes, saying, “Remote learning allowed me to take different types of classes that would have been impossible for me to take in person. It also allowed me to re-watch recorded lectures as much as I wanted, and it made it easier to arrange one-on-one time with professors, as they had a little more time for student interaction through Zoom meetings.” Madeleine Millar, a senior at Oregon State University, spoke of the disruption of lab-based study. Others spoke of Zoom fatigue and expressed annoyance at the cost of what they viewed as an inferior experience than what was promised. Analysis & Arguments Former CDC Director Tom Frieden shares his views on how to have Americans prove their vaccination status effectively (NYT). Ross Douthat writes on the weird politics of Covid (NYT). Katherine J. Wu writes on the substantial differences between a case of Covid for vaccinated and unvaccinated people (Atlantic). 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. Read previous briefs here and stream and subscribe to our weekly podcast here. About New America New America is dedicated to renewing the promise of America by continuing the quest to realize our nation's highest ideals. Read the rest of our story, or see what we've been doing recently in our latest Annual Report. 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