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April 27, 2022 - Brief Issue 320
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
Covid Pills to Become More Widely Available in U.S. (Health & Science)
CDC Report: Covid-19 Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. Last Year; 3 out of 4 Children Had Been Infected (Heath & Science)
FDA Official: Vaccines for Young Children Delayed Due to Incomplete Data (Health & Science)
China’s Xi Pushes to Beat U.S. GDP Growth This Year (Around the World)
Mexico: Covid-19 Now Endemic (Around the World)
Vice President Harris Tests Positive for Covid; Taking Paxlovid (U.S. Government & Politics)
Federal Judge May Cool Democratic Tension Over Title 42 (U.S. Government & Politics)
Birx: Trump’s Disinfectant Comments a Tragedy (U.S. Government & Politics)
GE Puts Forward Cautious Outlook Citing Supply Chain Disruptions (U.S. Economy)
Home Price Growth Accelerated in February (U.S. Economy)
D.C.’s Disability Community Pushes to Keep Mask Recommendation on Metro (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 81,101,161 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 991,959 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 573,582,745 vaccine doses, with 77.5% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 66.1% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 88.9% have received at least one dose, and 76% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 45.7% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a first booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 511,089,572 cases of coronavirus, with 6,225,818 deaths.
Covid Pills to Become More Widely Available in U.S.
On Tuesday the Biden administration announced plans to nearly double the number of pharmacies that carry the antiviral pills used to combat Covid-19. Currently, many U.S. residents find it difficult to find a doctor to prescribe the medication or a pharmacy that has them in stock. The administration also announced more “test-to-treat” programs in pharmacies and clinics where people will be able to obtain a five-day regimen of the pill called Paxlovid, from Pfizer, after testing positive for the coronavirus (WaPo). Cases in the U.S. are on the rise again as the Omicron subvariant, called BA.2, spreads throughout the country. The seven-day average of new cases was 47,029 on Monday, which is an increase of 38,000 cases from the previous week. But experts say that many new infections are not being reported as more people rely on home tests.
Since the Food and Drug Administration authorized Paxlovid for emergency use in December, the rollout has been bumpier than expected. Many people do not know that the pill exists or if they qualify for it, others are hesitant to take a new medication. Some doctors are also confused about which patients should receive the drug and incorrectly treat the medication as scarce, thereby limiting its availability (NYT).
CDC Report: Covid-19 Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. Last Year; 3 out of 4 Children Had Been Infected
For the second year in a row, Covid-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. Covid-19 was the underlying cause of over 415,000 deaths in 2021, which is 13% of the national total (NBC). In 2020 and 2021, only heart disease and cancer caused more deaths than Covid-19, according to tallies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and released in a report on Tuesday.
In that same report, the CDC estimated that three out of every four U.S. children have been infected. The researchers examined blood samples from more than 200,000 Americans, looking for antibodies created by fighting an infection, not vaccines. Signs of past infections rose between December and February, when the more contagious Omicron variant was circulating in the U.S. According to the AP, “The most striking increase was in children. The percentage of those 17 and under with antibodies rose from about 45% in December to about 75% in February.”
FDA Official: Vaccines for Young Children Delayed Due to Incomplete Data
Dr. Peter Marks, a top official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who oversees vaccine regulation, said on Tuesday that coronavirus vaccines for children under 5 have been delayed because the manufacturers have not finished their application for authorization. Marks said the agency will release a schedule this week for outside experts to review. The nation’s 18 million children under 5 years of age are the only group still not eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Parents “are frustrated, they are confused, and I am, too,” Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, who chairs the Senate health committee, told Dr. Marks at an F.D.A. oversight hearing (NYT). While Marks said he couldn’t comment about pending requests from pharmaceutical companies, he did say that the FDA couldn’t finish the reviews “until we actually have complete applications.”
Around the World
China’s Xi Pushes to Beat U.S. GDP Growth This Year
Despite facing the worst outbreak since the pandemic began and resulting lockdowns across the country, Chinese President Xi Jinping told officials that they must ensure the country’s economic growth surpasses that of the United States’ this year (WSJ). Xi told senior economic and financial officials that growing the economy is critical to proving that China’s one-party system is superior to Western liberal democracy. Government agencies are now planning large construction projects in manufacturing, technology, energy, and food sectors. Plans to issue coupons to individuals to encourage consumer spending are also being discussed. In 2021, the U.S. economy outpaced China’s in the final quarter: the U.S. economy grew 5.5% compared to China’s 4.0% growth. Bonus Read: “‘I Just Want to Help’: Amid Chaos, Shanghai Residents Band Together,” (NYT).
Mexico: Covid-19 Now Endemic
On Tuesday the Mexican government said that Covid-19 has passed from a pandemic to an endemic stage and it will now be treated as a seasonally recurring disease. “It is now retreating almost completely,” said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. While new cases and daily death rates have declined, it could be because of a lack of testing and unreliable reporting. About 90% of adults in Mexico have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine (AP).
U.S. Government & Politics
Vice President Harris Tests Positive for Covid; Taking Paxlovid
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the Vice President had tested positive for Covid (WSJ, WaPo, NYT). The spokesperson said that Harris had tested positive on rapid and PCR tests, but showed no symptoms, adding, “She has not been a close contact to the president or first lady due to their respective recent travel schedules.” The spokesperson also said that the Vice President is taking Paxlovid, a pill designed to treat Covid symptoms. The Biden administration has been seeking to encourage greater awareness of the pill, as covered above.
Harris is fully vaccinated with two booster shots. The Vice President came close to the virus at least twice before when the Second Gentleman Doug Emehoff tested positive in March and on a second occasion when an aide tested positive and the Vice President was designated a close contact but did not test positive. The announcement follows a number of prominent figures in DC and in President’ Biden’s circles having tested positive in recent months. The Washington Post also notes, “Two Democratic senators — Chris Murphy (Conn.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) — tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday, as well.”
Federal Judge May Cool Democratic Tension Over Title 42
On Monday, Louisiana District Court Judge Robert R. Summerhays signaled that he intends to issue a temporary block on the Biden administration’s decision to end the use of Title 42 authority (Politico). Politico writes, “Summerhays, a Trump appointee overseeing a lawsuit against the policy change brought by multiple Republican-led states, said the terms of the restraining order have yet to be reached. The Justice Department declined to comment on the coming Title 42 temporary restraining order.” Politico notes that a temporary blocking order could provide a respite for Democrats who have publicly split over the Biden’s administration’s decision regarding the authority (Politico).
Birx: Trump’s Disinfectant Comments a Tragedy
During interviews regarding her book, former White House coronavirus response coordinator under Trump Deborah Birx called Trump’s comments regarding disinfectants while he was a president a “tragedy on many levels” (ABC, Politico). Birx added that she felt “paralyzed in that moment because it was so unexpected.”
Bonus Read: “Fears mount inside White House that Manchin won’t agree to any deal,” (WaPo).
U.S. Economy
GE Puts Forward Cautious Outlook Citing Supply Chain Disruptions
On Tuesday, General Electric presented a cautious outlook for its business citing continuing supply chain disruptions, and noting it expects its full year growth to be near the low-end of what it predicted in January (WSJ). The Journal writes, “The manufacturer continues to face pressure from supply-chain disruptions and rising raw-material and freight costs, and impact from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Executives said on a conference call that they anticipate these pressures to continue into the second quarter. They expect GE’s adjusted free cash flow, a key measure of profitability, to be negative in the second quarter but better than the negative $880 million reported in the first quarter.” Chief Executive Larry Culp told the Journal, “With respect to supply chain specifically, we know this will be a challenge through the course of the year,” but noted he expects the impact to dwindle over time. The caution comes after GE reported , as the Journal notes, “strong quarterly growth for its jet-engine unit as commercial air traffic recovers from a pandemic-fueled decline.”
Home Price Growth Accelerated in February
Growth in home prices accelerated in February (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal writes, “The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, which measures average home prices in major metropolitan areas across the nation, rose 19.8% in the year that ended in February, up from a 19.1% annual rate the prior month. February marked the highest annual rate of price growth since August.” Despite the growth, economists told the Journal that they expect the price growth to slow as higher mortgage rates push people out of the market. Bonus Read: “Affordable Prices Drive Home-Buyer Activity in WSJ/Realtor Housing Index,” (WSJ).
Bonus Read: “Hot Job Market, an Economic Relief, Is a Wall Street Worry,” (NYT).
U.S. Society
D.C.’s Disability Community Pushes to Keep Mask Recommendation on Metro
The Washington Post reports that the disability community in the D.C. area is mobilizing to maintain a recommendation to use masks on the metro and transit in the city (WaPo). The Post writes, “Metro’s Accessibility Advisory Committee passed a motion to be presented to Metro’s board on Thursday urging the transit agency to continue following recommendations by health experts on masking. They cite concerns about virus spread among vulnerable passengers, particularly seniors and people with disabilities.” The committee’s chair Phil Posner stated, “Mandating it, according to the judge in Florida, is illegal. But recommending is not illegal. And all the science shows that wearing a mask is protective, of you and everybody else that is with you.” The Post interviewed Posner on the issues.
Analysis & Arguments
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