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June 28, 2021 - Brief Issue 220
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
White House Struggles to Increase Vaccination Rates as Delta Variant Surges (Health & Science)
Booster May Be Needed Soon for J&J Shot (Health & Science)
Biden Administration Cautions Review of Covid Origins May Not Be Definitive (Health & Science)
Black Market for Fake Vaccination Certificates Booms in Moscow (Around the World)
Australia Battles Several Clusters (Around the World)
Millions in Brazil Miss Second Doses (Around the World)
White House Makes 48 Hour Push on Housing Policy, Extends Eviction Ban for a Month (U.S. Government & Politics)
During the Pandemic Americans Got Richer, and Rich Americans Even More So (U.S. Economy)
The Boss is Back on Broadway: Bruce Springsteen Reopens Broadway Show, Vaccination Requirement Sparks Minor Protest (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 33,625,036 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 603,967 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 323,327,328 vaccine doses, with 54% of Americans having received their first vaccine dose and 46.1% fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 181,102,393 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 3,923,132 deaths.
White House Struggles to Increase Vaccination Rates as Delta Variant Surges
The Biden administration has opted to push vaccination education and try to increase vaccination rates instead of returning to mask mandates and social distancing in areas where vaccination rates are lagging as the Delta variant makes its way through the country. Only about 46 percent of the U.S. population is vaccinated, and the number of doses administered has fallen by almost 300,000 per day since June 7, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of U.S. adults who say they will definitely not take a Covid-19 vaccine has remained steady at 13%, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey released last month. Twelve percent say they are waiting to decide while 7% say they will only get vaccinated if it is required for work or other activities.
The slow down in vaccination rates is worrying health officials who question how the federal government will manage an increase in Covid-19 cases associated with the Delta variant, which the CDC says now accounts for one-fifth of new infections nationwide (Politico). As we covered in briefs last week, new Covid-19 infections, driven in large part by the more contagious Delta variant, have increased by more than 50% over the last two weeks in under-vaccinated states such as Missouri and Oklahoma. Health officials worry that areas with large unvaccinated populations will drive another surge. As businesses and schools return to normal operations, health officials say the push to vaccinate more people is becoming urgent (AP). “This is the door-to-door campaign, this is the church-to-church, this is going into the community and meeting people where they are. We’re not going to convince everybody,” said Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. “The Delta variant and its explosive growth — I wish there was a better way to articulate the damage that it is doing and will do in those communities, but it is going to be a tough slog.” Bonus Read: “Anatomy of a health conundrum: The racial gap in vaccinations,” (WaPo).
Booster May Be Needed Soon for J&J Shot
Infectious disease experts are considering whether a booster shot of the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA-based vaccines will be needed for Americans who initially received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine due to the increasing prevalence of the Delta variant. U.S. health regulators have not published data on whether combining two different vaccines is safe and effective, but Canada and some European countries are allowing people to get two different Covid-19 shots. The question centers around the new Delta variant and how effective the J&J shot is against it as some U.K. studies have shown that two doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines are significantly more effective against the variant. The CDC is not recommending boosters yet and advisors to the agency said at a public meeting this week there is not yet significant evidence of declining protection from the vaccines, according to Reuters.
Biden Administration Cautions Review of Covid Origins May Not Be Definitive
Biden administration officials are cautioning that the 90-day review into the origins of Covid asked for by the President may not provide definitive answers as to the virus’ origin, the Wall Street Journal reports (WSJ). Biden is scheduled to received a 45-day update on the review’s progress in mid-July. While officials noted that, as the Journal puts it “partial progress might narrow differences among scientists, politicians and intelligence experts and turn up clues for further investigation,” a senior administration official told the Journal, that Biden “is mindful of the fact that after 90 days we may not have an absolutely definitive answer, but he wanted a focused, intense, time-bound effort.”
Around the World
Black Market for Fake Vaccination Certificates Booms in Moscow
After Moscow’s mayor announced this month that coronavirus vaccinations were mandatory for most of the city’s service sector employees, a new black market for fake vaccination certificates was born to support the many Russians that are still hesitant to be vaccinated (WaPo). Moscow has ordered 60% of workers who interact with the public, such as teachers, taxi drivers, salespeople, to get vaccinated or else find different jobs. Employers will be fined for noncompliance. The new rules take effect today and also require that restaurants and bars limit admission to people who have a QR code confirming vaccination or proof of a negative PCR test. Authorities have also warned that hospitals will deny routine medical care to unvaccinated patients.
The strict measures come as the Delta variant fuels another surge in cases; about 90% of the new Moscow cases are the Delta variant. Infections have spiked in the capital to more than 8,500 per day. But the increase in cases isn’t enough to prompt the vaccine hesitant into accepting inoculation, instead many are turning to the black market for fake vaccination certificates. According to Forbes, there were 500 newly registered domain names for selling the fake certificates by mid-June. The fake documents are also being sold on the messaging app Telegram and on Dark Web forums. The Russian Interior Ministry said the average price of a fake certificate was up to $66.
Australia Battles Several Clusters
Health experts are saying that Australia has entered a new phase of the pandemic as it battles several Covid-19 clusters around the country. While Australia has been relatively successful in containing clusters throughout the pandemic, the newest cases have highlighted the government’s slow vaccine rollout--only 5% of the population is fully vaccinated (AP). Now, both Sydney and Darwin were locked down as of today, Perth has made masks compulsory for three days and warned a lockdown could follow. Brisbane and Canberra have or soon will make masks compulsory and South Australia state announced new restrictions starting Tuesday. Health policy adviser Bill Bowtell, who was the architect of Australia’s first AIDS response in the 1980s, said the government needed to consider hastening vaccinations by shortening the gap between AstraZeneca shots from 12 to 8 weeks. “We really face the most serious crisis in the COVID pandemic since the early days in February-March last year,” Bowtell said. Many of the new clusters can be traced back to an unvaccinated Sydney limousine driver who tested positive for the Delta variant after transporting a foreign aircrew from Sydney airport, reportedly without wearing a mask.
Millions in Brazil Miss Second Doses
Millions of people in Brazil are missing their second doses of Covid-19 vaccine, contributing to the complications facing the country’s vaccination campaign that is already plagued by supply shortages and allegations of graft. Around 4.1 million Brazilians did not return for their second shot as of June 1, according to the New York Times. The reasons for people missing the second shot are varied, but the result is the same: partial protection could set back any progress Brazil makes in fighting the virus. Brazil has the second-highest known death toll in the world, after the United States, and daily cases are still hitting new peaks. About one third of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine but only about 12% are fully vaccinated. “Many of these people will likely have to be vaccinated again” with the first dose, said Dr. Ligia Bahia, a public health specialist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and one of the researchers leading the study of vaccinations. “And cases will not fall in the meantime.”
U.S. Government & Politics
Bonus Read: “Inflation summer vs. recovery summer: Biden fights to win the narrative,” (Politico).
White House Makes 48 Hour Push on Housing Policy, Extends Eviction Ban for a Month
The White House made a major 48-hour push to reshape housing policy last week amid concerns over a housing crisis amid the pandemic (WaPo). On Wednesday, the White House appointed Sandra L. Thompson as Federal Housing Finance Agency, replacing a Trump appointee. The Washington Post writes that Thompson has “called out the lack of affordable housing and access to credit for many communities of color.” Then on Thursday, the CDC extended its eviction moratorium for another month. As we covered last week, House Democrats had been pushing for an extension. The new and supposedly final date for the moratorium’s end is now July 31. The Post also notes, “The Biden administration also announced initiatives to quicken the disbursal of rental relief and encourage local governments and courts to prevent evictions. As part of the effort, the White House will convene a summit this Wednesday for “immediate eviction prevention plans” to prevent an ‘eviction crisis.’”
Arkansas Governor: Vaccine Hesitancy Persists, Incentives Not Working
On Sunday, Arkansas’ Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson, said that vaccine hesitancy continues and that incentives don’t seem to be working to encourage vaccination (CBS, Politico). Hutchinson told CBS’ “Face the Nation,” that “people started feeling comfortable” adding, “People saw the cases of hospitalizations go down. And so, the urgency of getting the vaccine slowed down.” Hutchinson also noted that incentives did not seem to be boosting the vaccination rate. Speaking about the challenges in Arkansas, he said, “We've used incentives that have not been very successful. We've obviously done marketing for our vaccines. We are educating, doing everything that we can. And we're up to, you know, 50% of adults already are vaccinated. But we've got to get that higher. We're doing everything we can to encourage that. And I think as-- if incentives don't work, reality will. And as you see the hospitalizations go up, the cases go up, I think you'll see the vaccination rate increase as well.”
U.S. Economy
During the Pandemic Americans Got Richer, and Rich Americans Even More So
During the pandemic, many Americans became richer, the Wall Street Journal reports (WSJ). The Journal writes, “The coronavirus pandemic plunged Americans into recession. Instead of emerging poorer, many came out ahead. U.S. households added $13.5 trillion in wealth last year, according to the Federal Reserve, the biggest increase in records going back three decades. Many Americans of all stripes paid off credit-card debt, saved more and refinanced into cheaper mortgages. That challenged the conventions of previous economic downturns. In 2008, for example, U.S. households lost $8 trillion.” A large part of the reason is that while the pandemic had a substantial negative impact, the government’s support and stimulus efforts were substantial. Low interest rates also helped the stock market grow, align with other factors including increased interest in investment by people stuck at home. However, the role of a strong stock market, according to the Journal, “produced a lopsided distribution of the wealth gains, since well-off households are more likely to own stocks. More than 70% of the increase in household wealth went to the top 20% of income earners. About a third went to the top 1%.” And the inequality was even greater when examined by wealth rather than income. Even so, many lower-income Americans also gained over the pandemic, though whether those gains will be sustainable is less clear. The Journal writes, “Many lower-income workers came out ahead. By October 2020, for example, household checking-account balances of the bottom 25% of income earners had risen roughly 50% from the year before, according to the JPMorgan Chase Institute. But much of their wealth increase came in the form of stimulus checks and unemployment benefits, which will peter out as the economy recovers.”
WSJ: Number on Unemployment Rolls Falls at Quicker Pace in States Cutting Extra Aid; NYT: No Sign of Greater Employment in States that Cut Aid
The number of Americans on unemployment fell more quickly in the 22 states that cut their expanded pandemic unemployment aid compared to those that didn’t, the Wall Street Journal reports (WSJ). The Journal writes, “The number of workers paid benefits through regular state programs fell 13.8% by the week ended June 12 from mid-May—when many governors announced changes—in states saying that benefits would end in June, according to an analysis by Jefferies LLC economists. That compares with a 10% decline in states ending benefits in July, and a 5.7% decrease in states ending benefits in September.” As the Journal explains, “Federal pandemic aid bills boosted unemployment payments by $300 a person each week and extended those payments for as long as 18 months, well longer than the typical 26 weeks or less. The benefits are set to expire in early September, but states can opt out before then.”
Whether the cuts are driving an increase in actual employment, however, has been a subject of dispute. The New York Times reports that there is little evidence of such an increase. It is a debate with political impact as much of the support for cutting expanded aid comes from Republicans and the business community who argue that expanded aid has encouraged people to stay home from work despite available jobs while many Democrats have pointed to other factors that limit the ability to return to work including a lack of child care options. Aneta Markowska, Jefferies LLC’s chief financial economist told the Journal, “You’re starting to see a response to these programs ending,” adding, “employers were having to compete with the government handing out money, and that makes it very hard to attract workers.” The New York Times, in contrast, writes, “Work-force development officials said they had seen virtually no uptick in applicants since the governor’s announcement, which ended a $300 weekly supplement to other benefits. And the online job site Indeed found that in states that have abandoned the federal benefits, clicks on job postings were below the national average.” Economists cited by the Times point to a disconnect between companies and workers over what jobs should provide, and a growing concern about low-wage work coming off of the pandemic.
U.S. Society
Bonus Reads: “Jury trials are starting again. But the pandemic put some behind bars past their sentences,” (WaPo) and “Thousands of Prisoners Sent Home Because of Covid May Have to go Back,” (NYT).
The Boss is Back on Broadway: Bruce Springsteen Reopens Broadway Show, Vaccination Requirement Sparks Minor Protest
On Saturday, Bruce Springsteen played before a Broadway audience as part of his “Springsteen on Broadway” show for the first time in the 15 months since Broadway theaters closed due to the pandemic (WaPo, WSJ). The Washington Post writes that the energy at the show “could have electrified a Con Ed substation. The crowd included longtime fans of the Boss and luminaries as well: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and husband Chasten, MSNBC anchor Brian Williams, and E Street Band alumnus Steve Van Zandt all were in a house in which some seats sold for $500 and more.” The Wall Street Journal writes, “It marked the long-awaited return of Broadway itself, following an unprecedented 15-month shutdown due to the pandemic. ‘It’s been a long time coming,’ said Mr. Springsteen, seemingly referencing both facts. It was a sentiment echoed by the hundreds of attendees at the sold-out performance. Many took it a step further and said the event signified the true return of New York City, which has come alive in recent weeks with the easing of pandemic restrictions.” Among such viewers was Corey Hendrickson, a 40-year-old theater-goer with tickets to other shows as well, who told the Journal, “Everything is busier and busier. A year ago, it was so sad.” However, there were also signs of the impact of the pandemic. To attend the show, audience members had to show proof of vaccination, and in front of the doors, a small protest against the policy broke out. Georgina Braiman, a 55-year-old Manhattan resident and one of the protesters, told the Journal, “We should not exclude people.”
Analysis & Arguments
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