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July 28, 2022 - Brief Issue 355
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
BA.5 Surge is a Reminder to Still Take Precautions (Health & Science)
Global Fight Against AIDS Stalled During Pandemic (Around the World)
Biden Tests Negative, Ends Covid Isolation, Compares His Case with Trump’s (U.S. Government & Politics)
White House Pushes Economic Message Ahead of Expected Bad News (U.S. Government & Politics)
Senate Passes Semiconductor Chip Bill (U.S. Government & Politics)
Boise’s Housing Market Cools Quickly After Pandemic Boom (U.S. Economy)
School Mask Mandates Return as Variant Cases Surge (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 90,977,517 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 1,028,819 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 601,497,801 vaccine doses, with 78.7% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 67.2% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 89.9% have received at least one dose, and 77% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 48.2% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a first booster shot. 29.7% of Americans aged 50 or older have received a second booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 573,903,780 cases of coronavirus, with 6,393,665 deaths.
BA.5 Surge is a Reminder to Still Take Precautions
The Omicron subvariant BA.5 is causing another surge, in the U.S. and across Europe and elsewhere, reinfecting people who have already been infected with previous variants and been vaccinated. While the variant is the most transmissible one yet, its surge is also happening at a time when many Americans are easing up on precautions they had been taking, which is aiding in its spread. “We’ve had a shift in our baseline,” said Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Even though more than 400 Americans are dying every day from Covid-19, that number is significantly lower than it was at the peak of the winter Omicron wave (NYT). Health experts say the risk of severe illness and developing long Covid should still be taken seriously, especially if you’re unvaccinated, and recommend continued mask use, regular at-home testing, and paying attention to local community Covid-19 indicators.
Bonus Read: “Monkeypox is a new public health challenge for President Biden,” (WaPo).
Around the World
Global Fight Against AIDS Stalled During Pandemic
A new report released Wednesday by the United Nations agency leading the global fight against AIDS highlighted the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the fight against HIV and AIDS-related illnesses last year. According to the Associated Press, “The number of people on lifesaving HIV treatments grew more slowly last year than it has in a decade. Inequities are widening. Every two minutes last year, a teen girl or young woman was newly infected — and in sub-Saharan Africa, they’re three times as likely to get HIV as boys and men the same age. And 650,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses last year.” The U.N.’s goal is to have fewer than 370,000 new HIV infections by 2025, but last year there were 1.5 million. “This is an alarm to the world to say that COVID-19 has blown the AIDS response significantly off track,” said Matthew Kavanagh, deputy executive director of UNAIDS.
U.S. Government & Politics
Biden Tests Negative, Ends Covid Isolation, Compares His Case with Trump’s
On Wednesday, President Biden announced that he had recovered from his bout with Covid and that he would end his isolation (Politico, WSJ, NYT). The announcement followed Biden testing negative on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Biden stated that he is “feeling great.” Biden touted his recovery as a sign of the successful management of the pandemic, stating, “It’s a real statement on where we are in the fight against Covid-19,” and directly comparing his bout with Covid with Donald Trump’s bout with the virus. He commented that Trump “had to get helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center. He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered,” contrasting, “When I got Covid I worked from upstairs of the White House…for that five-day period. The difference is vaccinations, of course.” The Wall Street Journal noted, “Mr. Trump tested positive for Covid-19 in October 2020. Vaccines weren’t yet available at the time. Mr. Trump was treated with the antiviral remdesivir. The Food and Drug Administration authorized Paxlovid for Covid-19 in December 2021.” Biden added, “Over the past 18 months, my administration has left no stone unturned in this fight against the pandemic. None,” continuing, “Let’s keep emerging from one of the darkest moments in our history with hope and light for what can come.” Bonus Read: “How Biden’s Covid turned Ashish Jha into the de facto White House doctor,” (Politico).
White House Pushes Economic Message Ahead of Expected Bad News
Politico reports that the White House is making an active messaging push to make their case that the economy is not as dire as some portray it ahead of what is expected to be a report on Thursday that the economy shrank (Politico). Politico writes, “Senior administration officials are hitting the airwaves and arm-twisting reporters in private, imploring anyone who will listen that the economy — despised by majorities of both Republicans and Democrats fed up with inflation — is still healthy. But White House officials admit that changing people’s minds is a daunting task as the highest inflation in four decades severely cuts into wages even as the economy continues to churn out jobs and Americans keep spending.” Jared Bernstein, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, told Politico, “I don’t think any of us are trying to convince anyone that their feelings about the economy are wrong,” adding, “What we are trying to do is explain things in a much more nuanced way than most people are getting from the daily news flow.” Politico notes that the administration has been pushing out blog posts on the topic and that “Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen showed up on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday and declared, ‘This is not an economy that is in recession.’ On Monday, senior Biden aide Gene Sperling ventured into hostile territory on Fox News. The next day, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese joined the White House briefing to make the case.”
Senate Passes Semiconductor Chip Bill
On Wednesday, the Senate passed a bill that would provide $52 billion in subsidies to the semiconductor chip industry, which has been wracked by supply chain disruptions partially related to the pandemic among other issues (WaPo). The Washington Post reports, “In a 64-33 vote, the Senate passed the $280 billion 'CHIPS and Science Act,' the final iteration of a bill that was years in the making. About $52 billion would go to microchip manufacturers to incentivize construction of domestic semiconductor fabrication plants — or ‘fabs’ — to make the chips, which are used in a wide variety of products, including motor vehicles, cellphones, medical equipment and military weapons.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated, “This is one of the most significant, long-term thinking bills we’ve passed in a very long time.” The bipartisan bill has been a key Biden administration priority. The Post notes, “although the bill saw bipartisan support, several key Republican senators voted no. Those opposed include retiring Sens. Richard C. Shelby (Ala.) and Patrick J. Toomey (Pa.). Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also opposed the bill, despite Lockheed Martin chief executive Jim Taiclet’s wholeheartedly endorsing the legislation in his meeting with Biden this week, emphasizing that semiconductor chips are a critical component of Javelin missiles, which are manufactured in Alabama. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has criticized the bill as one that would give ‘blank checks to profitable microchip companies,’ also opposed the legislation and argued before the final vote that it needed stronger guardrails.”
U.S. Economy
Boise’s Housing Market Cools Quickly After Pandemic Boom
The Wall Street Journal reports that the housing market in Boise, Idaho is cooling rapidly following a pandemic boom (WSJ). The Journal writes, “During the pandemic-fueled housing boom, Boise emerged as one of America’s hottest ‘Zoomtowns,’ communities that experienced a spike in population from an influx of remote workers. Now, the housing boom around Idaho’s capital city has ground to a halt. Buyers are balking at record prices and mortgage rates that last month hit a 13-year high. Sixty-one percent of listings in the Boise metro area had a price cut in June, the highest rate out of 97 metro areas surveyed, according to brokerage Redfin Corp. Home builders who couldn’t keep up with demand last year are cutting back on construction.” The Journal notes that the trends in Boise mirror and may be a sign of larger trends in the housing market nationally, as people are told to return to the office and high prices and rate hikes put downward pressure on demand, particularly in areas like Boise that benefitted from the growth in remote work.
Bonus Read: “Walmart cut its profit outlook. Here’s why that might worry rivals,” (WaPo).
U.S. Society
School Mask Mandates Return as Variant Cases Surge
Across the country, school mask mandates are showing signs of a return as school districts wrestle with surging Covid cases tied to the Omicron sub variants (WaPo). The Washington Post reports, “Mask mandates are making a comeback at public schools in Louisville. They could return to Los Angeles, after a possible decision this week. And outside Atlanta, where classes start in a matter of days, they are required for school employees. This is not what school leaders hoped for when they pictured the lead-up to the 2022-2023 school year. But a sizable swath of the country is seeing a surge of covid-19 cases, according to data posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Bernard Watson, a spokesman for Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia told the Post, “Everybody wishes we didn’t have to wear masks, but the health experts recommend we wear them to keep people safe.” His district’s community level is currently rated “high” according to CDC metrics meaning that its employees will have to mask. Yet the Post notes, “Students are strongly encouraged to mask but are not included in the mandate because of a recent state law called the ‘Unmask Georgia Students Act,’ which lets parents decide whether their children wear masks at school.” Not all schools are adopting masking even amid surges though. The Post notes, for example, “In San Diego, school district officials mandated masks indoors on July 18, when CDC data showed San Diego County hit a high covid level and summer school was in session. But officials said this week they have not made a decision about mask-wearing when the regular school year starts on Aug. 29.”
Analysis & Arguments
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