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November 15, 2021 - Brief Issue 262

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

Delta’s Decline in U.S. Halted by Rise in Pockets of the Country (Health & Science)

Brazil Surpasses U.S. for Vaccinations (Health & Science)

At-Home Tests Recalled in the U.S. (Health & Science)

Austria Imposes Lockdown But Only for the Unvaccinated (Around the World)

German Cases Hit New High as Officials Consider Tighter Restrictions (Around the World)

China Fights Delta Outbreak (Around the World)

Biden’s Approval at New Low (U.S. Government & Politics)

Treasury Secretary Yellen: Covid Will Determine if Inflation Eases (U.S. Government & Politics)

Inflation Hits 31-Year Record High (U.S. Economy)

As Record Numbers of Americans Quit Their Jobs, Women, Employees of Color, Lower Ranking Employees Quit at Higher Rates (U.S. Economy)

Families Look to More Normal Thanksgiving Celebrations This Year (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 47,074,699 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 763,092 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 440,559,613 vaccine doses, with 68.3% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 58.8% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 81.3% have received at least one dose, and 70.5% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 15% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 253,442,315 cases of coronavirus, with 5,103,223 deaths.

Delta’s Decline in U.S. Halted by Rise in Pockets of the Country

New cases of the coronavirus caused by the Delta variant are now climbing in the Upper Midwest, Southwest, and parts of the Northeast of the United States ahead of the holidays, bringing a halt to the overall decline in cases that the country had been experiencing (WSJ). The seven-day average of new cases is edging back up after hovering above 70,000 for several weeks. The previous peak of the Delta variant was in September. But colder weather has driven people indoors, allowing the virus to spread more easily. Minnesota, for example, has averaged more than 3,500 new cases a day, the highest average since last April, and some of its hospitals have been overwhelmed by the number of patients. ”Right now we find ourselves in a really truly alarming spike in cases,” Jan Malcolm, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health, said at a briefing last week. Other states have reported that the bulk of Covid-19 hospitalizations are among the unvaccinated. 

Brazil Surpasses U.S. for Vaccinations

Brazil was a pandemic hot spot for much of the past year, but now, the country has edged past the U.S. in fully vaccinating its population. Over 60% of Brazilians are fully immunized; in the U.S. the rate is about 59% (NYT). The achievement reflects the public’s trust in a healthcare system that has a track record of responding quickly to crises and comes in spite of the President’s poor handling of the pandemic and continual dismissal of the dangers of the virus. President Jair Bolsonaro has so far refused to get vaccinated himself.

At-Home Tests Recalled in the U.S. 

This week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of over 2.2 million of Ellume’s over-the-counter coronavirus tests due to “higher-than-acceptable false positive test results” (WaPo). “In recent weeks, we noted an increased chance that Ellume COVID-19 Home Tests from specific product lots may provide an incorrect positive result,” the company’s chief executive officer, Sean Parsons, said in a statement. “Following a thorough investigation, we isolated the cause and confirmed that this incidence of false positives is limited to specific lots.” Ellume’s at-home coronavirus test was the first rapid home test authorized by the FDA. The Biden administration purchased millions of the Australian company’s products in a $231.8 million contract as part of efforts to scale up testing kit availability in the U.S. The recall comes as at-home tests have become increasingly difficult to find in recent months as demand has skyrocketed. 

Around the World

Austria Imposes Lockdown But Only for the Unvaccinated

Beginning today, Monday, Austria is imposing a new host of restrictions in order to stop the current surge of coronavirus infections, but the restrictions only apply to those people who remain unvaccinated (Politico). Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced the new measures on Sunday, saying that those who are unvaccinated will be required to stay home aside from essential trips. Some 2 million people will be included in the lockdown. The country is fighting its highest rates of infection since the pandemic began, reporting over 13,000 new cases on Saturday. The vaccination rate is at 63%, which is below the EU average. The country’s health minister noted at a news conference on Sunday that although infections are going up overall, infections among the vaccinated were actually decreasing (NYT).

German Cases Hit New High as Officials Consider Tighter Restrictions

Germany’s coronavirus infection rate is now at its highest level since the start of the pandemic, according to figures released on Monday, and the three parties in talks to form a new government following the election in September are now also discussing new restrictions (Reuters). The seven-day incidence rate is now at 303 per 100,000 people, according to the Robert Koch Institute. Three German state health ministers on Sunday urged the three parties negotiating to form a new government to allow state officials to enact stricter measures like lockdowns or school closures.

China Fights Delta Outbreak

China is seeing its biggest Covid-19 outbreak caused by the Delta variant yet, according to numbers announced Monday (Reuters). The northeastern city of Dalian reported 32 new domestically transmitted infections on Nov. 14, bringing the total number of local cases in the past month up to 1,308. While the number of infections is lower than many other countries, Chinese authorities are anxious to continue their “zero covid” approach. Rigorous contact tracing, a complex set of restrictions, and multiple rounds of testing of people in at-risk areas have all been implemented by province-level officials. 

U.S. Government & Politics

Bonus Read: “Texas attorney general opposes federal edicts, supports state edicts,” (Politico).

Biden’s Approval at New Low

Despite public support for Biden’s infrastructure bill, his approval rating hit a new low in a Washington Post/ABC poll (WaPo). The Post writes, “In a sharply divided country, Biden began his presidency with a slight majority approving of his performance, but his standing has steadily dropped since midsummer. His overall approval rating now stands at 41 percent, with 53 percent saying they disapprove. Those who say they strongly disapprove of the way he has handled his job represent 44 percent of adults.” Pessimism regarding the economy appears to play an important role in the poll result with 70% of those polled having a negative view of the state of the economy and about half blaming Biden for inflation. The Post also describes a “downward trend” in how people assess the Biden administration’s handling of the pandemic, writing, “Today, Americans are roughly divided on Biden’s handling of the pandemic (47 percent approve, while 49 percent disapprove). Two months ago, 52 percent approved of his handling of the pandemic compared with 41 percent who disapproved. In June and in April, he was in positive territory by a 2-to-1 margin.”

Treasury Secretary Yellen: Covid Will Determine if Inflation Eases

Amid rising concern over inflation, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that the pandemic will play a key role in determining if inflation continues or subsides (Politico). Asked whether inflation would stabilize by the 2022 midterm elections on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Yellen stated, “It really depends on the pandemic. The pandemic has been calling the shots for the economy and for inflation.” She added, “if we want to get inflation down, I think continuing to make progress against the pandemic is the most important thing we can do.” Bonus Read: “Inflation emerges as defining economic challenge of Biden presidency, with no obvious solution at hand,” (WaPo).

U.S. Economy

Inflation Hits 31-Year Record High

Inflation hit a 31-year record high in October, according to data from the Department of Labor (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal writes, “The Labor Department said the consumer-price index—which measures what consumers pay for goods and services—increased in October by 6.2% from a year ago. That was the fastest 12-month pace since 1990 and the fifth straight month of inflation above 5%. The core price index, which excludes the often-volatile categories of food and energy, climbed 4.6% in October from a year earlier, higher than September’s 4% rise and the largest increase since 1991.” According to the Journal, the increase occurred across numerous sectors and was “broad-based.”

As Record Numbers of Americans Quit Their Jobs, Women, Employees of Color, Lower Ranking Employees Quit at Higher Rates

As we covered in prior briefs, in September, the U.S. saw a record number of Americans quitting their jobs. The Wall Street Journal reports that such departures are not spread evenly across the workforce (WSJ). The Journal writes, “according to Labor Department data, and new surveys show that low-wage workers, employees of color and women outside the management ranks are those most likely to change roles. The findings signal that turnover isn’t evenly spread across the U.S. workforce even as employers across industries struggle to fill a variety of roles.” One survey by software maker Qualtrics “found a growing share of women open to changing roles. Some 63% of female middle managers said they intended to stay in their jobs next year, a drop from 75% in 2021, while 58% of women in nonmanagerial roles said the same.” Another survey by Mercer LLC found racial and ethnic differences in responses. The Journal explains, “Nearly half of low-wage and front-line workers surveyed said their pay and benefits were insufficient while 41% said they felt burned out from demanding workloads. Some 35% of Black employees and 40% of Asian employees said they were considering leaving, compared with 26% of white employees. Historically, Black and Asian employees have reported considering quitting at rates just under 30%, consistent with the general workforce.”

Bonus Read: “Supermarkets Alter Layouts, Use Decoys to Fill Gaps Left by Shortages,” (WSJ). 

U.S. Society

Families Look to More Normal Thanksgiving Celebrations This Year

Many families are looking to hold more normal Thanksgiving celebrations this year, gathering in groups and ditching masks (WSJ). A survey by KFF, a research nonprofit focused on health issues, found half of respondents said they plan to gather with more than 10 people for the holiday this year. Only 22% said they were not planning to do so because of Covid. Travel data also suggests a return to pre-pandemic patterns. The Wall Street Journal writes, “Holiday travel plans are resurging. About 53 million people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving by car, plane or other forms of public transportation, according to AAA. That’s up 13% from last year, and nearly even with the 56 million people who traveled in 2019.” The Journal also interviewed some families and writes, “Many families say they want to celebrate in the usual way—indoors, without masks, with more of their relatives and friends.”

Analysis & Arguments

Rebecca Adler-Nissen, Sune Lehmann and Andreas Roepstorff write on what Denmark can teach about pandemic response (NYT).

Alice Quach and Victor Tan Chen write on how race and class have shaped online learning (Dissent).

Peter Maass writes examines hospitals as a site of secrecy during the pandemic (Intercept).

 Readers can send in tips, critiques, questions, and suggestions to coronavirusbrief@newamerica.org.

The Brief is edited by David Sterman and Emily Schneider with Senior Editor Peter Bergen.

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