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July 13, 2021 - Brief Issue 227
The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University.
The Daily Brief will be on hiatus July 20.
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Top Headlines
Israel to Provide Third Shots of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine to Severely Immunocompromised; Reintroduces Mask Mandate Amid Increasing Infections (Health & Science)
Pfizer to Brief U.S. Officials on Booster Shot Question (Health & Science)
FDA to Attach Nerve Warning to Johnson & Johnson Shot (Health & Science)
U.S. States with Low Vaccination Rates See More Cases (Health & Science)
France’s Macron Enacts Strategy to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy (Around the World)
Spain’s Covid-19 Infection Rate Keeps Rising (Around the World)
England to End Restrictions Next Week (Around the World)
White House Adopts Aggressive Messaging Against Conservative Critics of Vaccination Strategy (U.S. Government & Politics)
Utah Governor Admits Vaccine Milestone Mistake (U.S. Government & Politics)
Fed: Shortages, Hiring Difficulties Holding Back Economic Recovery (U.S. Economy)
Summer Camps See Covid Outbreaks (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 33,890,833 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 607,442 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 334,600,770 vaccine doses, with 55.5% of all Americans having received their first vaccine dose and 48% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 67.7% have received at least one dose, and 58.9% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 187,355,083 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 4,041,027 deaths.
Israel to Provide Third Shots of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine to Severely Immunocompromised; Reintroduces Mask Mandate Amid Increasing Infections
On Monday, Israel’s Ministry of Health began offering third shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to severely immunocompromised adults (WaPo). The decision to offer third shots of the vaccine will function in part as an experiment to see if booster shots will help older and otherwise vulnerable people. The Washington Post reports, “The recommendation, published Sunday by the ministry, said that the goal of the new program was to raise antibody levels among immunocompromised citizens, including cancer patients, recipients of liver transplants, and others who have recently exhibited weakened vaccine protection, according to data. It said that it had still not made a decision on administering third shots for the general adult population.” The decision comes amid evidence suggesting that the Pfizer vaccine remains effective against the Delta variant but at a reduced level and as infection rates in Israel rose to over 400 people a day, after it proved one of the major success stories of vaccination efforts. Israel has in response reinstated its mask mandate for indoor spaces and public transit and the Post writes that Israel “is expected to introduce stricter quarantines for travelers returning from abroad, rapid testing stations for students, and the recently retired “green pass” system granting vaccinated people broader access to mass public events like concerts and movie theaters.”
Pfizer to Brief U.S. Officials on Booster Shot Question
The Washington Post reports that in the next few days, Pfizer is expected to brief U.S. officials on the question of whether a third, booster shot for its vaccine will be necessary (WaPo). The Post cited the company and six people familiar with the discussions. The Post writes, “Pfizer and the German firm BioNTech announced on Thursday that they planned to seek regulatory approval for a booster within weeks because they anticipated that people would need a third dose six to 12 months after receiving the companies’ two-shot regimen. But top U.S. health officials have not decided whether boosters will be necessary. And several hours after the companies announced their intentions Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an emphatic rebuke, saying ‘Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time.’”
FDA to Attach Nerve Warning to Johnson & Johnson Shot
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned on Monday that there is an increased risk of a rare neurological condition known as Guillain-Barré Syndrome after receiving the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine. Regulators said the chances of developing the condition are low, but they do appear to be three to five times higher among recipients of the J&J vaccine than among the general public (WaPo). So far, officials have identified 100 suspected cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome among recipients of the vaccine, with 95% of those cases considered serious. In a statement, the agency said that while “the available evidence suggests an association” between the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and increased risk of Guillain–Barré syndrome, “it is insufficient to establish a causal relationship.” The agency added that it “continues to find the known and potential benefits clearly outweigh the known and potential risks” of the vaccine (NYT). Only about 12.8 million people (around 8% of the fully vaccinated population in the U.S.) have received the J&J shot, while about 146 million have been vaccinated with Pfizer’s or Moderna’s vaccines.
U.S. States with Low Vaccination Rates See More Cases
Last week, U.S. states that have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents reported an average case rate that is about a third of that in states where the vaccination rate is under 50%, according to CNN. Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas are the only states that have a vaccination rate under 35%; average daily case rates in those states are among the 10 worst in the country. In contrast, Vermont, which leads the nation with about 66% of its population fully vaccinated, had the lowest case rate in the country with less than one new case per 100,000 people each day. Even more striking is the fact that across the U.S., more than 99% of deaths due to Covid-19 in June were among unvaccinated people.
U.S. Doctors Forced to Ration Last-Resort Covid-19 Treatment
At the beginning of the pandemic, a focus on a potential shortage of ventilators spurred hospitals and officials into obtaining more of the life-saving equipment and a shortage has largely been avoided. Instead, doctors have found themselves having to ration another, last-resort treatment called ECMO, which requires similar expensive equipment. ECMO involves a surgery that connects major blood vessels to equipment that adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the blood before pumping it back in, giving the lungs or heart a break and chance to heal. The treatment also requires trained staff who can provide constant monitoring and one-on-one nursing, severely limiting the number of patients who can be treated. According to a report in the New York Times, “Doctors tried to select individuals most likely to benefit. But dozens of interviews with medical staff and patients across the country, and reporting inside five hospitals that provide ECMO, revealed that in the absence of regional sharing systems to ensure fairness and match resources to needs, hospitals and clinicians were left to apply differing criteria, with insurance coverage, geography and even personal appeals having an influence.” Currently ECMO is available in less than 10% of hospitals and doctors are still having to ration its use. It’s something we’re balancing every day,” said Dr. Erik Eddie Suarez, a cardiovascular surgeon at Houston Methodist. If the hospital accepts too many Covid patients for ECMO, he said, “we can’t do cardiac surgery,” because some of those patients also need the treatment.
Anonymous Skin Sample in Milan Shows Covid-19 Could Have Arrived Earlier than Thought
Members of a World Health Organization team studying the origins of the novel coronavirus are trying to investigate the case of a 25-year-old Milan resident who visited a hospital in November 2019 with a sore throat and skin lesions. She left behind a skin sample that, in two tests conducted more than six months later, yielded traces of the Covid-19 virus. Scientists believe that additional studies of the women’s case could provide more clues about how long the virus was circulating in China and elsewhere. “You cannot ignore it,” said Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans, a member of the WHO-led team, referring to the Italian case in an April interview. She said the case offered enough evidence to merit broader investigation into whether the virus had spread to Italy by November 2019 (WSJ). But the problem now is that none of the researchers know who the woman is or where she is now. The hospital where she was treated said they don’t have her details and the dermatologist who treated her died unexpectedly in March. The WHO-led team has recommended looking for other clues in countries besides China that predate the first confirmed case in Wuhan.
Around the World
France’s Macron Enacts Strategy to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy
French President Emmanuel Macron is doubling down on efforts to increase Covid-19 vaccinations as the country faces a fourth wave of infections that experts predict will hit earlier than expected (Politico). On Monday the President agreed to make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory for healthcare and home care workers (Independent). He also introduced the mandatory use of a health pass to attend large events in hopes of that being enough to incentivize people to get vaccinated. France’s rate of inoculations is over 600,000 per day, slightly above average for the EU, but two-thirds of these are second doses. The slump “shows there’s a reluctance to get vaccinated,” said Gilbert Deray, head of the kidney unit at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. “If we are hitting the glass ceiling, it’s serious because we are below the 60 percent coverage.”
Spain’s Covid-19 Infection Rate Keeps Rising
Spain’s two-week Covid-19 infection rate continues to rise, reaching 368 per 100,000 people on Monday, a number more than triple that of two weeks ago as infections among young people have risen (Reuters). Even though health emergency chief Fernando Simon said the pace has tapered in recent days and officials believe they are nearing the peak, new restrictions have been announced in hard-hit Mediterranean regions of Catalonia and Valencia. "We are still in a situation where we have to reduce risks," he told a media briefing, calling the situation in Catalonia "really dramatic." That area had Spain’s highest incident rate with 725 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Simon said the rise in infections in Catalonia could be linked to the increase in domestic and foreign tourists and the spread of the more contagious Delta variant. He also noted that the low vaccination rate among young people and outbreaks related to graduation trips are playing a role.
England to End Restrictions Next Week
On Monday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that almost all legal restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus will be lifted on July 19 (NYT). This means that pubs and restaurants can operate at full capacity and nightclubs can reopen. The limitations on indoor gatherings will also be lifted, meaning more than six people can now gather. But even as he announced the end of restrictions, Johnson urged Britons to continue wearing face masks in crowded, indoor spaces as the highly transmissible Delta variant circulates. The government has said that the successful vaccination program has weakened the link between the rise in infections and hospitalizations. Britain is recording around 30,000 cases a day right now. Britain’s border restrictions will remain in place and Johnson encouraged a gradual return to workplaces rather than a mass move back to offices next week.
U.S. Government & Politics
White House Adopts Aggressive Messaging Against Conservative Critics of Vaccination Strategy
The White House is adopting a more aggressive messaging strategy against conservative critics of its vaccination strategy, Politico reports (Politico). Politico writes, “The White House has decided to hit back harder on misinformation and scare tactics after Republican lawmakers and conservative activists pledged to fight the administration’s stated plans to go ‘door-to-door’ to increase vaccination rates. The pushback will include directly calling out social media platforms and conservative news shows that promote such tactics.” The change comes amid strong comments from top medical adviser on the Sunday shows that we covered in yesterday’s brief. For example, Fauci stated, “The big misinterpretation that Fox News or whomever else is saying is that they are essentially envisioning a bunch of federal workers knocking on your door, telling you you've got to do something that you don't want to do.” Fauci added, “That's absolutely not the case, it's trusted messengers who are part of the community doing that – not government officials. So that's where I think the disconnect is.” Politico notes, “Beyond Fauci, press secretary Jen Psaki has pushed back on Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene —a lawmaker she once said she’d not mention from the podium — who compared the administration’s vaccine campaign to Nazis. Jeff Zients, the White House’s Covid response director, rebuked Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who contended falsely in a tweet that government “agents” were going door-to-door to ‘compel vaccination.’” In addition, the Democratic National Committee plans to hire fact checkers and use text messaging to push the White House’s new message. Bonus Read: “Few Options for Biden as Vaccination Pace Hits a Wall,” (Politico).
Utah Governor Admits Vaccine Milestone Mistake
On Monday, Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox said that the state’s Covid data team had “screwed up” and the state has not yet hit 70 percent vaccination as was previously announced (Politico). Cox tweeted, “Welp. We screwed up. Because of a reporting error we have not yet hit 70% on our adult vaccinations.” He added, “I promised to admit our mistakes and hold us accountable. I hope you will forgive us — and know we have made changes to ensure it won’t happen again.” Utah only hit 67.07% vaccination similar to the federal government’s failure to meet its stated goal for vaccination across the country. Cox said the error was not due to “ethical breaches” and added, “While this miscalculation is inexcusable, they have re-examined processes to prevent this type of error from happening again.”
U.S. Economy
Fed: Shortages, Hiring Difficulties Holding Back Economic Recovery
In a report released on Friday, the Federal Reserve pointed to shortages and hiring difficulties as factors holding back economic recovery (WSJ). In a semiannual report to Congress, the bank stated, “Progress on vaccinations has led to a reopening of the economy and strong economic growth,” but added, “shortages of material inputs and difficulties in hiring have held down activity in a number of industries.” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to present the report to and testify before Congress on Wednesday and Thursday.
Bonus Read: “What Happens to the Economy When $5.2 Trillion in Stimulus Wears Off?,” (WaPo).
U.S. Society
Summer Camps See Covid Outbreaks
The Associated Press reports that a number of summer camps have seen outbreaks of Covid, presenting a potentially concerning sign for school reopenings in the fall (AP). The AP reports, “The U.S. has seen a string of COVID-19 outbreaks tied to summer camps in recent weeks in places such as Texas, Illinois, Florida, Missouri and Kansas, in what some fear could be a preview of the upcoming school year” and adds “In some cases the outbreaks have spread from the camp to the broader community.” In Houston, more than 130 people tested positive in cases connected to a church summer camp and in Illinois, 85 teens and adults connected to a Christian youth camp tested positive in mid-June. In the Illinois case, the Illinois Department of Public Health said that all the campers were eligible for vaccination but few of the campers and staff had been vaccinated.
Analysis & Arguments
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