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June 6, 2022 - Brief Issue 331
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 Says Children Under Five Could Get Covid Shots Later this Month (Health & Science)
New Covid Shot Could be Approved Soon in the U.S. (Health & Science)
Omicron’s BA.2 Subvariant Spreading Around the World (Health & Science)
Paxlovid Reduces Covid Risk in Seniors, Even if They’re Unvaccinated, Says Study (Health & Science)
Covid-19 was Deadly to Working-Class Americans, Says Study (Health & Science)
Mystery Surrounds North Korea’s Coronavirus Outbreak (Around the World)
South Korea’s Incheon Airport Removes all Restrictions (Around the World)
Africa’s First Covid-19 Vaccine Factory Hasn’t Gotten Any Orders (Around the World)
Commerce Secretary Acknowledges Inflation's Impact (U.S. Government & Politics)
Special Olympics Drops Vaccine Mandate After Florida Threatens $27 Million Fine (U.S. Government & Politics)
Covid Misinformation Still Fueling Pregnancy Fears (U.S. Society)
NYT Survey: School Counselors Report Pandemic Related Anxiety a Major Issue (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 84,762,171 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 1,008,586 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 589,110,077 vaccine doses, with 77.9% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 66.7% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 89.3% have received at least one dose, and 76.6% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 46.9% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a first booster shot. 23.4% of Americans aged 50 or older have received a second booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 532,019,284 cases of coronavirus, with 6,299,292 deaths.
White House Says Children Under Five Could Get Covid Shots Later this Month
Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, said on Thursday that regulators will authorize a coronavirus vaccine for children under five years old as soon as June 21 and that states, pharmacies, and community health centers could put their orders in as soon as Friday (NYT). Dr. Jha shared the timeline during a White House briefing and said the preparations are contingent on the Food and Drug Administration authorizing the doses and a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The administration has been working with local health departments across the country and has requested that states give the initial doses to children’s hospitals and neighborhoods that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic. There are 18 million children under five who have not been eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations and many parents have been frustrated by the delay.
New Covid Shot Could be Approved Soon in the U.S.
A new coronavirus vaccine developed by Maryland biotechnology Novavax could be approved by the Food and Drug Administration soon. Advisors to the FDA are scheduled to debate the shot on Tuesday and if approved, it will become the fourth vaccine available in the U.S. The shot is based on an older and more familiar technology that is protein-based and is similar to the vaccines used against influenza, hepatitis B, and shingles. The Novavax vaccine can stay stable at refrigerated temperatures longer and might be tolerated better than mRNA vaccines for some individuals–key advantages as the world continues to live with the virus. But on Friday, an FDA review found that there were five cases of inflammation, mostly in men, within two weeks of being vaccinated in Novavax trials, raising concerns about a causal relationship (WaPo). Novavax has already been approved in more than 40 countries. Bonus Read: “There’s still no HIV vaccine. The science behind coronavirus shots may help.” (WaPo).
Omicron’s BA.2 Subvariant Spreading Around the World
The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron strain of the coronavirus is now the world’s most dominant form of the virus according to the international repository of coronavirus genetic sequences as recorded by GISAID. The BA.2 subvariant accounted for a small share of the overall infections in December and January, when the original version of Omicron began to overtake the Delta variant (WaPo). But in February and March the BA.2 subvariant began to overtake the original Omicron variant even as overall cases were declining. An uptick in cases in the U.K. and parts of Europe is being attributed to the subvariant and experts say a new wave could also be starting in the U.S. It’s unclear whether BA.2 causes more severe disease or not but vaccine makers and health experts believe that current vaccines do provide protection against it.
Paxlovid Reduces Covid Risk in Seniors, Even if They’re Unvaccinated, Says Study
A new study conducted in Israel shows that Pfizer’s antiviral treatment Paxlovid reduces the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization and deaths in both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients over 65 years old (Reuters). The study also found that the treatment did not prevent severe illness among younger adults. The study, which was published without peer review as a preprint on Research Square, included data from nearly 110,000 participants between Jan. 9 and March 10, when the Omicron variant was dominant in Israel. Researchers found that senior citizens with no prior immunity (meaning they were unvaccinated and had not recovered from a previous Covid infection) saw a 86% drop in hospitalizations with Paxlovid. Those who had prior immunity also benefited with a 60% drop in hospitalizations.
Covid-19 was Deadly to Working-Class Americans, Says Study
Working-class Americans died of Covid-19 at five times the rate of those in higher socioeconomic positions during 2020, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida (Seattle Times). The study, led by Jason Salemi and published in April in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that 68% of deaths they studied were among people considered to be in a low socioeconomic position, defined as workers whose education stopped at high school. People with at least a bachelor’s degree accounted for about 12% of deaths. “Our results support the hypothesis that hazardous conditions of work were a primary driver of joint socioeconomic, gender, and racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality,” the researchers wrote. Working-class employees faced “elevated infection risks,” according to a University of South Florida summary of the study, compared to higher-paid workers who were “more likely to have fewer exposure risks, options to work remotely, paid sick leave and better access to quality health care.”
Bonus Read: “My Family Got Covid. So Why Did We Test Negative?” (NYT).
Around the World
Mystery Surrounds North Korea’s Coronavirus Outbreak
Less than three weeks after announcing its first official positive coronavirus case and an “explosive” spread of fever symptoms that affected more than 3.7 million people, North Korea says there has been a rapid fall in new cases and a “favorable turn” (WaPo). There is no way to corroborate the claims made by the North Korean government and a top World Health Organization official said this week that things could actually be getting worse within the country. “This is not good for the people of [North Korea]. It is not good for the region. This is not good for the world,” said Michael Ryan, WHO emergencies chief. “We assume the situation is getting worse, not better.”
When the outbreak was announced, many health experts warned that the poor health infrastructure and lack of vaccines could lead North Korea to become a breeding ground for new variants. It’s unclear why North Korea announced the spread of the coronavirus but it is assumed that it is because it could no longer be contained at the local level. Leader Kim Jong-un has also provided unusually detailed information about the number of infections and deaths. But then this week, state media reported that authorities “positively assessed” control of the virus and planned to ease restrictions. “If North Korea’s figures are accurate, its fever cases sank to below 100,000 in recent days, a significant drop from nearly 400,000 in late May,” reports the Post.
South Korea’s Incheon Airport Removes all Restrictions
As of Wednesday South Korea’s main airport, Incheon Airport, will be open around the clock and will operate without any restrictions (Bangkok Post). The Transport Ministry announced on Friday that the airport will resume all international flight operations , taking the maximum number of flights landing per hour back up to 40, doubled from the current cap of 20 that has been in place since April 2020 as a result of the pandemic. The airport has also been operating with a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Africa’s First Covid-19 Vaccine Factory Hasn’t Gotten Any Orders
Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa was the first factory in Africa licensed to produce Covid-19 vaccines for the African market but it has not received a single order and could shut down the production line within weeks (NYT). The factory was hailed as a solution to the continent’s unequal access to vaccines when it signed a deal with Johnson & Johnson in November 2021 that allowed it to produce and market the single-dose vaccine. But that enthusiasm never translated to purchases. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday at a global summit on the pandemic organized by the White House that “international agencies” haven’t bought vaccines from the African manufacturer and “this immediately just devalues the whole process of local manufacturing and local production of vaccines. This, ladies and gentlemen, must change,” The New York Times reports: “Gavi, an international nonprofit agency that manages vaccine purchasing deals for low-income countries through the Covax alliance, said in a statement that under its existing contract with Johnson & Johnson, the company has provided vaccines from sources of its choosing.”
Bonus Read: “China’s international school sector threatened by Covid and crackdown,” (FT).
U.S. Government & Politics
Commerce Secretary Acknowledges Inflation's Impact
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is the latest administration figure to signal a higher level of concern regarding inflation (Politico). On Sunday, she told CNN, “Inflation’s a problem, I will grant you that, and we will get it under control because we’re going to stick with it until we do.” Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the administration had been wrong in its assessment of the duration and extent of inflation’s impact. Politico notes that “Like Yellen, the Commerce secretary also pointed to issues with supply bottlenecks: ‘The reality is, the cost of this inflation is the supply chain problems that were caused by Covid and we’re still struggling with.’” Raimondo also defended the American Rescue Plan, dismissing it as a cause of inflation and pointing to its importance for the economy and Covid response. Bonus Read: “Inflation strikes twice for many retirees,” (Politico).
Special Olympics Drops Vaccine Mandate After Florida Threatens $27 Million Fine
Yahoo Sports reports that on Thursday, the Special Olympics dropped its requirement that athletes be vaccinated, following a threat from Florida’s government to impose a $27 million fine (Yahoo Sports). A letter from the state Department of Health obtained and tweeted by ABC reporter Jay O’Brien read “This letter is notice that the Special Olympics International (SOI) is assessed a $27.5 million fine” for violating the state’s law on the matter. The letter stated, “Section 381.00316(1), Florida Statutes, prohibits a business entity, which includes a charitable organization, from requiring any patron or customer to provide documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-infection recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business entity.” At a news conference (tweeted out by the governor), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated, “Finally, we can report that all the athletes will be allowed to compete regardless of vaccination status.”
U.S. Society
Covid Misinformation Still Fueling Pregnancy Fears
A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation published on May 27 finds that Covid misinformation is still fueling fears around pregnancy (NYT). The New York Times writes of the study’s findings, “A steady bombardment of coronavirus misinformation during the pandemic has left nearly one-third of American women who are pregnant, or who plan to become pregnant, believing at least one falsehood about coronavirus vaccinations and pregnancy,” noting that “A higher share were unsure whether to believe the myths.” The study polled 1,500 people (900 of whom were women), in English and Spanish in May. The Times notes, “The three false statements used in the Kaiser survey were: ‘Pregnant women should not get the Covid-19 vaccine.’ ‘It is unsafe for women who are breastfeeding to get a Covid-19 vaccine.’ ‘The Covid-19 vaccines have been shown to cause infertility.’” The Times notes that although pregnant women are at greater risk from Covid, “About 30 percent of pregnant women in the United States remain unvaccinated, according to estimates from the C.D.C.”
NYT Survey: School Counselors Report Pandemic Related Anxiety a Major Issue
According to an April survey of 362 school counselors conducted by the New York Times, many are reporting that anxiety related to the pandemic is a major issue for school children (NYT). The Times writes that the counselors “described many students as frozen, socially and emotionally, at the age they were when the pandemic started.” The Times writes, “Nearly all the counselors, 94 percent, said their students were showing more signs of anxiety and depression than before the pandemic. Eighty-eight percent said students were having more trouble regulating their emotions. And almost three-quarters said they were having more difficulty solving conflicts with friends.” Jennifer Fine, a high school counselor in Chicago, told the Times, “Something that we continuously come back to is that our ninth graders were sixth graders the last time they had a normative, uninterrupted school year.” Cassie Cerny, a Wisconisn elementary school counselor, told the survey, “They have less stamina; more frustration; less flexibility; less effort; less perseverance; more escape and avoidance behaviors.” Pessimism ruled the day with the Times reporting that “Only six of the 362 counselors said that behaviors and social-emotional skills were back to normal for their students’ age or that they hadn’t seen lagging skills this year.”
Bonus Read: “The Office Monsters Are Trying to Claw Their Way Back to 2019,” (NYT).
Analysis & Arguments
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