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July 22, 2020 - Brief Issue 82

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

California May Soon Surpass New York’s Number of Coronavirus-Infected Residents; Miami Calls on Law Enforcement to Implement Mask Wearing Mandates; President Trump: “It Will Probably Unfortunately Get Worse Before It Gets Better.” (Health & Science)

Results from Small British Study Suggest Inhaled Interferon May Help COVID-19 Patients (Health & Science)

CDC: United States Coronavirus Infection Rates Are Higher Than Reported (Health & Science)

Pharmaceutical Executives Testify Vaccine Might be Ready Within Six Months (Health & Science)

WHO: Virus Not ‘Slowing Down’ in Americas (Around the World)

Brazil Starts Testing on 3 Vaccines as Death Toll Hits 80,000 and Government Ministers Test Positive (Around the World)

Sweden Says COVID Immunity Lasts Six Months (Around the World)

U.K. Scientists Turn to AI for Better Ventilation for COVID-19 Patients; Scientists Warn Coronavirus Will be Here for Decades (Around the World)

Zimbabwe Tightens Restrictions (Around the World)

Major Security Flaws in South Korea’s COVID Quarantine App (Around the World)

Biden Announces $775 Billion Plan to Support Families and Elderly Impacted by Coronavirus (U.S. Government & Politics)

Unclear if Congress Will Tackle “Surprise Billing” in Upcoming Stimulus Package, Leaving Coronavirus Patients with the Threat of Massive Bills (U.S. Government & Politics)

More Than 20,000 U.S. Military Servicemembers Have Contracted Coronavirus (U.S. Government & Politics)

Coca-Cola Prepares for Uptick in Sales after Revenue Falls 28% (U.S. Economy)

LinkedIn to Lay Off 6% of Workforce (U.S. Economy)

Asian-Americans Experience Surge in Discrimination Since Start of the Pandemic, with Little Support from the Government (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 3,902,135 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 142,068 people have died (Johns Hopkins). Around 1,182,018 people have recovered, and the United States has conducted 47,224,382 tests. Worldwide, there have been 14,968,982 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 616,985 deaths. At least 8,486,019 people have recovered from the virus.

California May Soon Surpass New York’s Number of Coronavirus-Infected Residents; Miami Calls on Law Enforcement to Implement Mask Wearing Mandates; President Trump: “It Will Probably Unfortunately Get Worse Before It Gets Better.”

California will soon top New York’s total coronavirus count to become the state with the most coronavirus cases in the nation. On Wednesday morning, the New York Times reported a total of 410,366 cases (and 7,883 COVID-19 deaths) in California, nearing New York’s nationwide highest number of around 412,889 cases (and 32,218 COVID-19 deaths) (NYT). California is set to overcome New York’s total this week, with cases rising on a rolling weekly average by about 9,110 per day, whereas New York is seeing a much smaller daily increase of a rolling weekly average of 716. California’s hospitals are “overwhelmed” with the number of hospitalizations, with nurses “nearing exhaustion” as they work tirelessly to treat patients (CNN). Many see complacency as the reason for California’s recent surge, with Anne Rimoin, Professor of Epidemiology at University of California, Los Angeles saying, “People are not following the rules. They're not wearing masks. They're not social distancing. They're not doing what it is that they need to do” (CNN). Virginia’s cases are also on the rise. The state’s daily rolling weekly average of new cases is nearly 1,000, as the state’s number of cases has risen to nearly 80,000. Washington, D.C. has a total of 11,427 coronavirus cases (NYT). New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut added another 10 states to their list of states whose residents require quarantine when traveling to the tri-state area due to high infection rates, bringing the total number of states on the list to 31. As reported by Fox News, “The criteria for states that have a high infection rate are 10 infections per 100,000 residents on a seven-day rolling average, or 10 percent of the state's total population infected on a seven-day rolling average.” Travelers coming to the tristate area from any of these 31 states must quarantine for two weeks (Fox News, NPR).

Miami, Florida Mayor Francis Suarez announced on Tuesday that 39 police officers had been tasked with enforcing the city’s mask order. The police will search for violators in-person and through social media, issuing fines of up to $100 for individuals and $500 for businesses failing to follow the policy (Sun Sentinel). Grocery store Winn-Dixie reversed its masking policy on Monday night, and will now require customers to wear masks in all of the company’s nearly 500 stores throughout the South. The policy change comes after the store received criticism for not following public health recommendations, and as many rival stores enacted masking mandates (WaPo). Winn-Dixie’s policy goes into effect starting July 27 (Today). A Walmart Distribution Center in Oregon is at the center of a coronavirus outbreak. Twenty-three individuals tested positive, likely tied to an employee, reports the Seattle Times. And, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon have implemented a two-week quarantine period to stop the coronavirus. The reservation has at least 120 cases of the virus out of its 5,000-person population. 

President Trump said during a press conference on Monday that “Some areas of our country are doing very well, others are doing less well” adding that “it will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better. Something I don't like saying about things but that's the way it is. It's the way -- it's what we have. You look over the world. It's all over the world. And it tends to do that” (ABC News, CNBC). Bonus Read: “Contact Tracing, a Key Way to Slow COVID-19, Is Badly Underused by the U.S.” (Scientific American).

Results from Small British Study Suggest Inhaled Interferon May Help COVID-19 Patients

British pharmaceutical company Synairgen said Monday in a press release that an inhaled drug “greatly reduced” the chances of severe disease in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (BioCentury, NYT). Their drug, SNG001, is an inhaled version of interferon beta; interferons have been approved to treat several diseases, but also have strong side effects. Synairgen hoped to avoid those side effects by delivering the drug straight to the lungs in an inhaler rather than an injection. Their study was double-blind, randomized and controlled, but with such a small study population—only 101 people—that a larger study is needed to confirm whether the drug is truly effective. However the results are tantalizing: the odds of severe disease (defined as going on a ventilator or dying) were 79 percent lower in patients who received the drug than in patients who did not.

Several preclinical studies in animals and human trials suggest that interferons are a promising avenue for COVID-19 treatment (Science). Earlier this year, a preventive trial in a hospital in China’s Hubei province gave daily interferon nose drops to over 2,400 medical workers and found that none of them came down with COVID-19 (medRxiv). And at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, a team found that subcutaneous interferon injections lowered mortality and increased the number of patients discharged from hospitals (medRxiv).

Several trials are underway, including the World Health Organization’s SOLIDARITY trial and a large study in the United Kingdom called REMAP-CAP, both of which are testing interferon beta as part of various antiviral cocktails. Trials at Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and Massachusetts General Hospital are all testing interferon injections against COVID-19.

As we covered in a previous brief, scientists have found that the coronavirus uses a unique strategy to attack the immune response, and interferons may disrupt this strategy. The coronavirus appears to simultaneously lower antiviral defenses and encourage high cytokine production, which scientists believe may be “the defining and driving features of COVID-19” (Cell). Like most viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 virus affects two sets of genes that cells activate to defend themselves: one set generates a “call to arms” and another generates a “call for reinforcements,” as one of the authors, Benjamin tenOever of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explained to STAT. The “call to arms” genes produce interferons, which are proteins that signal neighboring cells to activate antiviral defenses that slow the virus’ ability to replicate. The “call for reinforcements” genes produce a type of cytokine called chemokines, which signal certain kinds of white blood cells (B cells and T cells) to come attack the virus. Most viruses affect these genes, but SARS-CoV-2 is “unique” in blocking one set while inducing the other. It blocks the “call to arms” genes that produce interferons—thus allowing the virus to reproduce unchecked—while at the same time the virus induces the “call for reinforcement” that produces cytokines and, as the virus replicates, sometimes leads to the “cytokine storms” that can be so damaging to the body.

CDC: United States Coronavirus Infection Rates Are Higher Than Reported

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data on Tuesday that found that actual coronavirus infection rates in sites across the United States are likely between six to 24 times higher than the numbers reported. State health departments and local CDC offices tracked data from 10 U.S. cities between March 23 through May 12 and again found that asymptomatic spread may be a large contributor to rising case numbers (JAMA Internal Medicine, NYT, STAT).The CDC has tested 16,025 samples from commercial laboratories, and will continue to test 1,800 blood samples across the 10 locations every three to four weeks (CDC). Even in New York City, which happens to be one of the 10 testing locations for this research, herd immunity has not been reached, and is still unlikely. As we’ve noted in previous briefs, herd immunity occurs when enough people in a population are immune, so it becomes difficult for the virus to spread, and this helps protect those people who are not yet immune (Johns Hopkins). Circumstances would require about 60 percent of the population in a given area would need to be exposed to the virus (NYT). According to research in the Annals of Internal Medicine, up to 40 percent of infected individuals may be asymptomatic, but still contagious. Further, “increasing evidence suggests that acquired immunity may be short-lived in some persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly those with mild or asymptomatic infections. Importantly, whatever protection population-level seropositivity might confer may be less durable than initially anticipated.” For example, according to the New York Times analysis of CDC data, infections in Missouri are likely 13 times higher than what is reported by the state. In other states, for example, testing has reduced the gaps in possible cases. 

The study emphasizes that it has several limitations, including the problem of sampling the general population accurately. However, measuring the size of the epidemic as it unfolds is an epic task, “a wide-reaching, labor-intensive scientific effort,” writes an editorial in the same journal issue, and the study “represents substantial progress.” The editorial highlights the fact that the true extent of the epidemic in the U.S. is still unknown: “Large differences between known, reported cases and the serology-based estimates” in the study “underscore how limited PCR-based testing capacity… have left enormous numbers of infections undetected, circulating in the community, and propagating the epidemic.” According to authors of the CDC and health department research, “At present, the relationship between detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and protective immunity against future infection is not known” adding, “Extrapolating these estimates to make assumptions about population immunity should not be done until more is known about the correlations between the presence, titer, and duration of antibodies and protection against this novel, emerging disease” (STAT). Bonus Read: “Don’t Get Depressed Over Those Covid Antibody Studies,” (Bloomberg).

Pharmaceutical Executives Testify Vaccine Might be Ready Within Six Months

On Tuesday, executives at pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of vaccines testified before the United States Congress that a vaccine might be ready within six months (NYT, NYT). Dr. Stephen Hoge, the president of Moderna, testified, “We would hope in the fall or towards the end of the year we have data that we could submit to the FDA for them to make a determination on whether to approve it.” However, Dr. Julie Gerberding, Vice President at Merck, cautioned against over-optimism, warning, “We do not expect to be able to accelerate the safety assessment.” As we noted in yesterday’s brief, Monday saw the publication of trial data on three leading vaccine candidates from Oxford University and AstraZeneca; CanSino Biologics; and Pfizer and BioNTech (CNN, NPR, NYT, Politico, Reuters, USAToday, WSJ). Data from all three studies showed that the vaccine candidates generated promising immune responses in both antibodies and T-cells. For a full summary of Monday’s vaccine report, see the first story in yesterday’s brief here, and see another comprehensive vaccine update from other potential candidates in the first story of Thursday’s brief here.

New Research Furthers Proof That COVID-19 Patients Can Suffer From Blood Clots

A new research letter published online on the JAMA Network by researchers at New York University Langone Health in New York supports previous research findings that COVID-19 patients are at an increased risk of blood clots. The researchers looked at 3,334 COVID-19 patients across four New York City hospitals who were at least 18-years-old between March 1 and April 17, 2020. According to the research letter, “Any thrombotic event (patients could have more than 1) occurred in 533 (16.0%) patients; 207 (6.2%) were venous (3.2% PE and 3.9% DVT) and 365 (11.1%) were arterial (1.6% ischemic stroke, 8.9% MI, and 1.0% systemic thromboembolism).” Further, “All-cause mortality was 24.5% and was higher in those with thrombotic events.” Of the 829 patients who were admitted to intensive care, 29.4 percent had a blood clot, and of the 2,505 patients who were not admitted to the ICU, 11.5 percent had a blood clot. The researchers believe that blood clots are more prevalent in COVID-19 patients, possibly due to several reasons: cytokine storm (where the body starts to turn on itself and fight not just the virus but also its own cells), hypoxic injury, endothelial dysfunction, hypercoagulability, and/or increased platelet activity. The researchers also noted that the study had limitations due to a lack of imaging information available during the height of the pandemic in New York, as well as COVID-19 treatment changes over the course of the past several months.

Public Health Experts Call on U.S. States to Release More Pandemic Data to the Public for Tracking the Coronavirus

According to reports by STAT, nongovernmental organization Resolve to Save Lives released an analysis of the nationwide response to the pandemic in the United States on Tuesday. The analysis “calls on states and communities to start recording and sharing standardized data on 15 key metrics” to allow both the public and state health departments to better understand how their state is doing. This call to release more data comes from a group of public health experts, reports STAT. Resolve’s President and CEO, Tom Frieden, who is the former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former Commissioner of the New York City Health Department, said of this dearth of focused coronavirus response data, “People are just drowning in case counts and testing numbers, and they’re not seeing what’s really important.” The information Resolve proposes that should be easily available to the public includes new confirmed and likely coronavirus cases, with per capita rates by date, as well as a weekly moving average; daily COVID-19 hospitalization rates per capita, also with a weekly moving average; list of long-term care, communal living facility, and essential workplace coronavirus outbreaks (such as homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and meatpacking plants); and new deaths and likely deaths from COVID-19; and several other metrics (Prevent Epidemics). According to University of Minnesota director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Michael Osterholm, “I don’t know how you can judge where you’re at if you don’t have this kind of information” adding, “I think the information’s not just timely for what’s happening today but it allows you then to plan for what you must do to bring those numbers down tomorrow” (STAT).

Around the World

IMF: Swift Action Needed to Protect Women from COVID-19 Economic Fallout

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned governments around the world that "the pandemic threaten[s] to roll back gains in women’s economic opportunities, widening gender gaps that persist despite 30 years of progress" (Guardian). The IMF says that governments must exercise their full power of their purse to protect those who are disproportionately affected. Specifically, governments should consider how their policies could be designed to eliminate gender inequality in the workforce. The IMF also recommended investing in education and infrastructure, subsidizing childcare and offering parental leave—all things that it says are vital to a sustainable economic recovery from the pandemic. 

Americas

WHO’s PAHO: Virus Not ‘Slowing Down’ in Americas

Carissa Etienne, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) director, said on Tuesday that the coronavirus shows no sign of “slowing down” in the Americas, citing recent surges in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru in addition to the continued increases in Brazil and the United States (WaPo). In just the past week, the region has had 900,000 new confirmed cases and close to 22,000 deaths, most of them in Brazil, the U.S., and Mexico (Reuters). Etienne also pointed out that chronic health conditions and infectious diseases put three out of 10 people, or 325 million people, at “increased risk” of COVID-19 complications, saying: “The impact of comorbidities on the spread of the virus should be a clarion call to every country in the Americas: Use data to tailor your response, and make health your top priority.” While some countries, like Uruguay and Barbados, have been relatively more successful in curbing the spread of the virus, easing travel restrictions could put them at risk again. Bonus Read: “How tiny Uruguay, wedged between Brazil and Argentina, has avoided the worst of the coronavirus,” (WaPo).

Brazil Starts Testing on 3 Vaccines as Death Toll Hits 80,000 and Government Ministers Test Positive 

Brazilian health officials have green-lighted a three-month test of a coronavirus vaccine produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac (AP). The Sinovac tests will be conducted on 9,000 volunteers, all health professionals, across six Brazilian states. Brazil is also helping test a vaccine produced in partnership between Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and on Tuesday, officials authorized tests for a third vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech. 

On Tuesday, Brazil surpassed 80,000 deaths from COVID-19, second in the world only to the United States (NPR). Two government ministers have tested positive for coronavirus, Citizenship Minister Onyx Lorenzoni, a close ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, and Education Minister Milton Ribeiro. Both ministers announced their results separately. 

Ethics Probe to Investigate Trudeau Government’s Pandemic Spending

Canada’s ethics commissioner has put Prime Minister Justin Trudeau under investigation for breaking conflict-of-interest rules when his government tapped WE Charity Canada to run a C$900 million student grant program. The charity has paid large speaking fees to Trudeau’s mother and brother in recent years (Reuters). Trudeau’s Liberal Party was doing well in polls earlier this month after spending more than C$210 billion in direct emergency aid in less than four months, but as the country reopens and the immediate danger seems to have passed, scrutiny of that spending and a more deliberate approach to bolstering the economy has changed public opinion. 

Europe

Sweden Says COVID Immunity Lasts Six Months

According to Sweden’s top health authority, people who have had COVID-19 are likely to be immune for at least six months after being infected, even if they haven’t developed antibodies (Bloomberg). In new guidance published on Tuesday, the Swedish Public Health Agency said it is now considered safe for those who have tested positive with coronavirus to be in contact with people in high-risk groups. “We don’t see cases of people falling ill twice from Covid-19,” state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said during a press conference in Stockholm. “Hence, our assessment is that if you do get Covid-19 you are immune, even if you don’t develop antibodies.” But they also noted that people who are thought to be immune can still act as carriers of the virus and should observe social distancing and hygiene guidelines. Scientists all over the world are trying to determine how long immunity might last, as it’s still unknown at this point. 

Russia Says COVID-19 Vaccine Progressing

A COVID-19 vaccine being developed with the Russian Defense Ministry completed Phase II trials and is now ready for the first domestic inoculation, according to leading First Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov (Bloomberg). Tsalikov said that the second group of volunteers completed the second phase on Monday and everyone developed immunity to the coronavirus. He did not say when the third phase, which includes large-scale trials, would begin or when the production of the vaccine would take place; Phase III trials usually take months to complete successfully. However, some virologists believe the Defense Ministry is moving too fast: “They’re all getting ahead of themselves,” said Sergei Netesov, a former executive at Vector, a state-run virology center in Novosibirsk that’s also working on an inoculation. “The third phase has not started yet, or even been announced. The reason they’re in such a rush is completely incomprehensible.”

U.K. Scientists Turn to AI for Better Ventilation for COVID-19 Patients; Scientists Warn Coronavirus Will be Here for Decades

A trial in the United Kingdom is studying how artificial intelligence (AI) can help better ventilate coronavirus patients. Many coronavirus patients develop Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as the virus attacks the lungs and they require proper mechanical ventilation. But selecting the wrong type of ventilator the equipment can damage the lungs further. Now, trials at Imperial College London in the U.K. are studying how AI can help select the proper ventilator for the patient so that doctors can minimize damage due to wrongful selection (Bloomberg). The study is testing a new AI device called the Beacon Care system, which uses mathematical calculations to recommend ventilator settings that are tailored to an individual’s needs. Once the ventilator selection is made, the system measures how well the lungs are aerated, blood flow, and oxygen levels, helping better understand treatment responses. 

The trial is one of many around the world that will assist scientists and healthcare professionals as they deal with the virus for the foreseeable future. Scientists in the U.K. have warned that the coronavirus will be around for decades (Politico). According to Wellcome Trust Director and Scientific Advisory Group Member in the United Kingdom, Jeremy Farrar, “Even actually if we have a vaccine or a very good treatment, humanity will still be living with the virus for many, many years to come.” And, Oxford University regius professor of medicine John Bell said the “reality is that this virus will be with us forever” adding, “It is going to come and go,” reports Politico.

Bonus Read: “How Angela Merkel’s Change of Heart Drove Historic EU Rescue Plan,” (WSJ).

Africa

Zimbabwe Tightens Restrictions

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced on Tuesday that his government would impose a nighttime curfew and tighten other restrictions in an ongoing effort to fight rising numbers of coronavirus infections (Reuters). “As of tomorrow, Wednesday, ... all our security services must enforce a dusk-to-dawn curfew set to come into force daily between 1800 hours and 0600 hours,” Mnangagwa said in a televised address to the nation. But critics and political opposition members say the new measures are linked to anti-government protests that have been planned for next week. Public gatherings remain banned and many people will be required to stay home aside from getting food, water, or medical help. Zimbabwe has recorded 1,713 cases, a much smaller number than that of its neighbor, South Africa, but infections have been rising more rapidly in the past week. 

Asia 

Major Security Flaws in South Korea’s COVID Quarantine App

South Korea’s mobile app that was developed to help enforce quarantines has been found to have serious security flaws that made private information vulnerable to hackers (NYT). The defects, which have now been fixed, could have allowed hackers to retrieve the names, real-time locations, and other personal details of people in quarantine and allowed them to tamper with the data. As of last month, more than 162,000 had downloaded the app, which tracks users’ locations to make sure they stay in quarantine. “We were really in a hurry to make and deploy this app as quickly as possible to help slow down the spread of the virus,” said Jung Chan-hyun, an official at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s disaster response division, which oversees the app. “We could not afford a time-consuming security check on the app that would delay its deployment.”

U.S. Government & Politics

Biden Announces $775 Billion Plan to Support Families and Elderly Impacted by Coronavirus

On Tuesday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden unveiled a $775 billion plan to address the hardships caused by coronavirus on childcare and the elderly. The proposal is Biden’s third in recent weeks, with previous plans to boost American economic recovery and mitigate climate change. The proposal allocates $325 billion to improve childcare, aiming to create 3 million new jobs in caregiving and education, alongside free pre-kindergarten, tax credits for child care, increased pay for workers, and subsidized after-school care. The remaining $450 billion is dedicated to improving elderly care, including adding 1.5 million jobs in the caregiving industry and expanding Medicaid. Biden would roll out the plan over a decade, paid for by eliminating tax breaks for wealthy real-estate investors and increasing the top capital-gains rate. These policies are estimated to raise $294 billion over 10 years, according to the Tax Policy Center (WSJ). 

Unclear if Congress Will Tackle “Surprise Billing” in Upcoming Stimulus Package, Leaving Coronavirus Patients with the Threat of Massive Bills 

As Congress continues to debate coronavirus economic relief, many are wary that “surprise billing,” steep medical bills sent to patients after receiving out-of-network care, will not be addressed in the upcoming stimulus package. The practice of surprise billing often follows emergency room or specialty visits, with one study finding that roughly 40 percent of all emergency visits led to a surprise bill. House Democrats want to include protections in the upcoming bill to ensure patients, especially those treated for coronavirus, are shielded from these excessive charges. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested he prefers to address the issue in separate legislation. Some remain optimistic that the billing practice will be included in the stimulus plan, since the White House has called for an outright ban of surprise billing, opting to let health providers reach a solution. While White House involvement might push Republicans to address the issue in the upcoming relief package, physicians worry that the plan to let health providers reach a solution leaves too much power in the hands of insurance companies. Much of the lobbying to protect surprise billing practices has been shouldered by private equity firms and insurance monopolies. Still, many involved in the battle expect the surprise billing practice to remain, potentially sticking coronavirus patients around the country with massive bills (Politico). 

More Than 20,000 U.S. Military Service Members Have Contracted Coronavirus

More than 20,000 U.S. military service members have contracted the coronavirus, and the rate of infection in the military has tripled in recent weeks, according to the New York Times (NYT). As a result, the military is in some cases acting as a vector spreading the virus. For example, in Georgia’s Chattahoochee County, local outbreaks were traced to Fort Benning.  According to the Pentagon, there have been 21,909 cases with 440 hospitalizations as of Monday. Lindsey Leininger, a health policy researcher at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business commented, “Military bases represent a combustible demographic mix of young and older people in a dense institutional setting, which is pretty much an ideal context for a wildfire-like outbreak to occur.”

Dr. Fauci to Throw the First Pitch at the Washington Nationals’ Opening Day on Thursday

The Washington Nationals announced Monday that Dr. Anthony Fauci, member of the White House coronavirus task force and longtime baseball fan, will throw the first pitch at Nationals Park on Opening Day. Dr. Fauci showed his support for the team in June, testifying before congress wearing a Nats mask. The announcement comes as tensions rise between Dr. Fauci and the Trump administration, with the President recently calling the infectious disease specialist “an alarmist,” despite a recent poll showing 67 percent of Americans trust Dr. Fauci’s advice on the virus (NYT). The baseball season is set to kickoff this Thursday, after a four-month delay. Major League Baseball announced that due to coronavirus, games will be shorter and take place without fans in the stadiums, until it is safe to gather in large groups. In a statement, the Nationals said: “Dr. Fauci has been a true champion for our country during the Covid-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career, so it is only fitting that we honor him as we kick off the 2020 season and defend our World Series Championship title” (Politico). 

NSA Leaker Reality Winner Tests Positive for Coronavirus

On Monday, Brittany Winner tweeted that her sister Reality Winner, who is serving time in prison for leaking NSA documents, tested positive for the coronavirus (Intercept, Guardian, Verge). She tweeted: “Email from Reality: "Officially Covid-19 positive. I am being retaliated against harshly for articles last week and am about to take admin remedies." ALSO, the guard CONGRATULATED her for testing positive. Help us get her out. Please RT! #CompassionateRelease4Reality.” Reality Winner’s family had already been seeking her release on compassionate release grounds. On Monday afternoon, the Bureau of Prisons reported 509 cases of coronavirus in the prison where Reality Winner is serving time, a spike from 200 cases recorded earlier that day. Winner is serving a 63-month sentence for leaking documents regarding election security and alleged Russian election interference to The Intercept.

U.S. Economy

Coca-Cola Prepares for Uptick in Sales after Revenue Falls 28%

Coca-Cola reported that its revenue fell 28 percent in the second quarter, but the company expects business to pick up now that China, Southeast Asia, and Western Europe are seeing a decline in coronavirus cases. About 50 percent of Coca-Cola’s sales come from “away-from-home” venues including entertainment facilities and restaurants, many of which were closed as the virus spread. Rival company PepsiCo said its revenue remained flat for the second quarter, with beverage losses offset by snacks and packaged food sales. To counter the losses, Coca-Cola is ending many smaller projects that had little scale, and has also paused social media advertising, alongside many other companies, following the calls for these platforms to more aggressively combat hate speech. Coca-Cola expects revenues to rebound because of the continued openings throughout the country: “Here in the U.S., we’re seeing a spike in a number of places but the degree of lockdown is not nearly what it was” said John Murphy, Coke’s Chief Financial Officer (WSJ). 

LinkedIn to Lay Off 6% of Workforce 

LinkedIn will cut 6 percent of its workforce, over 950 jobs, in part as a result of coronavirus. The Microsoft-owned company makes the majority of its revenue from recruiting services, and saw a decrease in ads and fees paid by recruiters since the start of the pandemic. LinkedIn will give employees 10 weeks of severance pay and up to a year of continued healthcare. The cuts follow a number of other businesses making similar moves, including Airbus, Macy’s, and United Airlines. LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky said, “LinkedIn is not immune to the effects of the global pandemic,” noting that the company’s hiring services have been “impacted as fewer companies, including ours, need to hire at the same volume they did previously” (WSJ). 

Hotels and Vacation Towns Suffer in States Experiencing Spikes in Coronavirus

The lodging industry has taken a serious hit in states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, including Florida, Arizona, California, and Texas. Hotel demand is down 7.4 percent in Florida since the end of June, and fell by 9.9 percent in Arizona. People are getting more restless as the pandemic persists, although families choosing to venture away from their homes are typically driving to destinations far from current hotspots. While hotels haven’t been the focus of statewide closures, they have been directly affected by the closures of entertainment venues and restaurants frequented by tourists. Heiko Dobrikow, General Manager at a Fort Lauderdale hotel, said there was a “nosedive” in reservations as Florida cases spiked. Some experts have noted an increase in tourism in some locations that were seemingly spared from the virus. However, beach towns such as Corpus Christi, Texas that initially saw an increase in tourism are now experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases, with Corpus Christi reporting an alarming number of cases in babies this weekend (Texas Tribune, WSJ). 

Bonus Read: “‘A very dark feeling’: Hundreds camp out in Oklahoma unemployment lines,” (WaPo). 

U.S. Society

Asian-Americans Experience Surge in Discrimination Since Start of the Pandemic, with Little Support from the Government 

Discrimination against Asian-Americans has increased substantially since the start of the pandemic, with little acknowledgement from federal leaders. According to a Pew Research Center survey of Asian-American adults, 58 percent said racism is more common now than before the pandemic, 31 percent had experienced racist jokes and slurs, and 26 percent feared someone might attack them because of their race. Xenophobic incidents have included defaced Asian-owned stores, racist graffiti, and physical harm, showing a “sharp increase in instances of hostility and harassment,” according to the New York City Commission on Human Rights. The Trump administration has done little to combat this surge in discrimination, with Trump himself calling the coronavirus “Chinese virus” and “kung flu,” statements that experts say inflame racist sentiments (Cambridge University, WaPo). Civil rights activists, nonprofit organizations, and advertising agencies have tried to fill the void, addressing the surge in discrimination with powerful ads, hashtags, and media campaigns. One ad, posted by Ad Council on Monday, features diverse individuals describing recent racist encounters, and ends with a simple call to action: “Fight the virus. Fight the bias” (NYT). 

Coronavirus Health Recommendations Come with Increased Carbon Emissions 

Climate change experts and real estate owners are challenged to balance air-safety recommendations to stop the spread of the airborne coronavirus while also mitigating carbon emissions from buildings. Public health officials have shown that the virus can linger in indoor spaces such as office buildings, incentivizing property owners to more frequently circulate outdoor air into buildings and run HVAC systems more often. These recommendations have been largely followed, with one study showing a 36 percent increase in HVAC costs since the start of the pandemic. However, the United Nations Environment Programme reported that 39 percent of energy-related emissions come from buildings and construction, putting the increased use of HVAC systems in conflict with emissions reduction goals. The issue is further complicated by municipal legislation passed before the pandemic. For example, New York City passed a bill in April 2019 allowing officials to issue fines of up to “millions of dollars a year” to building owners responsible for excessive emissions (WSJ). Brenden Millstein, CEO of Carbon Lighthouse, advocates for a balanced solution, calling for property owners to install more advanced filters to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, without causing emissions to skyrocket from pumping in outside air and continuously running HVAC systems (WSJ). 

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The Brief is edited by Melissa Salyk-Virk and David Sterman and co-edited by Emily Schneider and Narisara Murray, with Brianna Kablack and Senior Editor Peter Bergen.

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