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December 1, 2021 - Brief Issue 266
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
Scientists Race to Understand the Omicron Variant; Evidence Omicron was in Europe a Week Before it was Discovered in South Africa (Health & Science)
FDA Panel Approves Merck’s Covid Pill (Health & Science)
Pfizer Seeks Approval for Teen Booster (Health & Science)
COVAX Delivers 11 Million Doses in One Day (Around the World)
UK Acts Swiftly Against Omicron (Around the World)
Norway, Japan Announce First Cases of Omicron (Around the World)
Greece to Impose Monthly Fine on Unvaccinated Adults Over 60 (Around the World)
White House Examines What Funds are Available to Deal with Omicron Variant (U.S. Government & Politics)
Fauci Responds to Ted Cruz (U.S. Government & Politics)
Fed Chair Powell: Fed May Pull Back Economic Support (U.S. Economy)
Stocks Fall on News of Powell Comments, Omicron Worries (U.S. Economy)
Fewer Americans Shopped This Thanksgiving Than Last Thanksgiving (U.S. Society)
Counterfeit N-95 Masks Widespread Even as Masks are in Supply (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 48,560,280 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 780,241 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 460,773,508 vaccine doses, with 70.2% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 59.4% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 82.7% have received at least one dose, and 71.1% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 20.9% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 262,995,279 cases of coronavirus, with 5,219,398 deaths.
Scientists Race to Understand the Omicron Variant; Evidence Omicron was in Europe a Week Before it was Discovered in South Africa
Scientists and health officials are scrambling to better understand the newly identified Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Among the questions that are yet unanswered are: is the new variant more transmissible than Delta and are the current vaccines still effective?
Ugar Sahin, co-founder of BioNTech, said that it's possible the new variant could lead to more infections among vaccinated people but that there were reasons to believe the vaccine would protect against severe disease. “Our message is: Don’t freak out, the plan remains the same: Speed up the administration of a third booster shot,” Dr. Sahin said in an interview Tuesday (WSJ). On Tuesday, Moderna’s CEO, Stéphane Bancel, predicted that existing vaccines would be less effective at combating Omicron compared to other variants (WaPo). “There is no world, I think, where [the effectiveness] is the same level … we had with delta,” Bancel said, referring to the highly contagious variant that was first detected in India in late 2020. He told the Financial Times that his initial talks with scientists indicate what could be “a material drop” in vaccine effectiveness against Omicron. “I just don’t know how much, because we need to wait for the data,” he said. “But all the scientists I’ve talked to … [say], ‘This is not going to be good.’”
The World Health Organization has said the “overall global risk” from Omicron is “very high,” and it is pushing for governments worldwide to report cases of omicron and accelerate their vaccination drives. In the U.S., the CDC expanded booster eligibility and said all adults 18 and older should now get a booster shot. But Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a White House coronavirus briefing, “To be crystal clear — we have far more tools to fight the variant than we had at this time last year” (WaPo). Some scientists want to retain the focus on the Delta variant for now, since it is known to be highly transmissible. "We still have, of course, in the US, a serious surge of the Delta variant. We should be thinking about that," National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins told CNN on Monday.
Dutch health authorities reported on Tuesday that two people who tested positive for the coronavirus in the Netherlands more than a week ago were infected with the Omicron variant. This means that the variant was already present in the country at least a week before two flights from South Africa arrived, which carried others who were infected. It was also prior to the World Health Organization labeling the variant a “variant of concern” and before a host of countries banned flights from southern Africa. The New York Times writes: “The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said on Tuesday that so far, 44 cases of the new variant have been confirmed in 11 European countries. And in Britain, health officials announced at least 22 confirmed cases involving Omicron, including 13 in England and 9 in Scotland, bringing a new wave of tightened public health restrictions.”
FDA Panel Approves Merck’s Covid Pill
Merck’s Covid-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir, won approval from a federal advisory committee on Tuesday (NYT). The advisory committee voted 13-to-10 to endorse the pill from Merck, which has been shown to modestly reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from Covid-19. The United States could authorize the pill for use in just a few days and patients could have access to it within weeks. A similar pill from Pfizer that, so far, seems more effective than the Merck pill, could also be authorized in the coming weeks. The close vote on Merck’s pill reflects doubts by committee members about the effectiveness. “The efficacy of this product is not overwhelmingly good,” said Dr. David Hardy, an infectious disease physician in Los Angeles. Still, he voted to recommend the drug, saying “there is a need for something like this.” Other members were concerned about reproductive health side effects. “The risk of widespread effects on potential birth defects, especially delayed effects on the male, has not been adequately studied,” said Dr. Sankar Swaminathan, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Utah.
Pfizer Seeks Approval for Teen Booster
On Tuesday Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla said the vaccine maker submitted a request to the U.S. FDA to expand emergency use authorization of a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to 16- and 17-year-olds (NPR). Bourla made the announcement on Twitter, saying that "it is our hope to provide strong protection for as many people as possible, particularly in light of the new variant" — a reference to Omicron, which has not yet been detected in the U.S. Currently, only people over the age of 18 are able to get a booster shot in the U.S. Pfizer and BioNTech announced the results of a randomized study of 10,000 people 16 years of age and over that showed a booster dose "restored vaccine protection against COVID-19 to the high levels achieved after the second dose," according to a press release (WaPo).
Bonus Read: “How Biden and Trump actually compare on coronavirus deaths,” (WaPo).
Around the World
COVAX Delivers 11 Million Doses in One Day
The United Nations-backed global vaccine distribution program said on Tuesday that it shipped more than 11 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in 24 hours, its busiest day of deliveries ever (NYT). COVAX has struggled in its mission to ensure poor countries get access to vaccines, and now, the Omicron variant has prompted rich, highly vaccinated countries to expand their booster program while poorer, less vaccinated countries struggle to get first doses for their citizens. Only about 5 percent of people living in low-income countries have received even one vaccine dose, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health organization that is tracking coronavirus infections and vaccine distribution. Bonus Read: “Omicron raises concerns about global vaccine equity and hesitancy,” (Politico).
UK Acts Swiftly Against Omicron
On Tuesday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson banned travel from 10 African countries, made face masks compulsory in shops and on public transport, and greatly accelerated the deployment of booster shots in an effort to outrun the Omicron variant (NYT). Although the reaction is still less severe than other European countries, like Austria, which is back in a national lockdown, Johnson said the government was prepared to tighten restrictions even more. “We’re going to be throwing everything at it,” Mr. Johnson said at a Downing Street news conference. “We’re taking some proportionate precautionary measures while our scientists crack the Omicron code.”
Norway, Japan Announce First Cases of Omicron
The west coast municipality of Oeygarden and the Norwegian health ministry announced on Wednesday that two people who had been on a trip to South Africa had tested positive and were confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant (Reuters). On Friday, Norway imposed a quarantine on travellers arriving from South Africa or neighboring countries
On Tuesday, Japan confirmed its first case of the newly discovered Omicron variant (ABC). According to officials, the case was a Namibian diplomat who had recently arrived in Japan, and tested positive at the airport. According to ABC News, “A total of 70 other passengers, including the patient’s two family members on the same flight, were identified as having close contact, but they have all tested negative and are self-isolating while being monitored remotely by the Japanese health authorities.”
Greece to Impose Monthly Fine on Unvaccinated Adults Over 60
Greece is making Covid vaccinations mandatory for people aged 60 and over and will begin imposing a fine of 100 euros ($113) per month on those who refuse to get vaccinated, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said (BBC). The fines will be directed towards the Greek health system, which is currently struggling with a surge in hospitalizations from Covid-19. About 63% of Greece's 11-million population is fully vaccinated, but data show more than 520,000 people over 60 are yet to get vaccinated. "Greeks over the age of 60... must book their appointment for a first jab by January 16," the premier said in a statement to the cabinet. "Their vaccination is henceforth compulsory."
U.S. Government & Politics
White House Examines What Funds are Available to Deal with Omicron Variant
The Washington Post reports that the Biden White House is examining what funds are available and how funds might be shifted to deal with the newly discovered Omicron variant (WaPo). The Post writes, “For now, senior White House officials do not believe there is the need for an imminent request to Congress for more money to respond to risks posed by omicron. But that could change in coming days, the officials said, as much of the funding already approved for the White House to respond to the pandemic has been earmarked for specific purposes, such as free testing for uninsured Americans.” Costs could be particularly high if the new variant ends up requiring that Americans get new vaccinations. The Post writes, “The cost of updated vaccines for all Americans could run as high as $7.5 billion, while buying 2 million additional monoclonal antibody treatments could cost $4 billion, according to one senior administration official, who provided rough estimates. Another $5 billion for 10 million antiviral pills could bring the total to $16 billion, the administration official said.” Bonus Read: “New Covid variant triggers urgent moment for Biden health team,” (Politico).
Fauci Responds to Ted Cruz
On Sunday, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, responded to accusations from Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) that he had politicized science and that he had lied to Congress about funding for gain of function research (Politico). Fauci told CBS’s Margaret Brennan, “Anybody who's looking at this carefully realizes that there's a distinct anti-science flavor to this,” adding, “If they get up and criticize science, nobody's going to know what they're talking about. But if they get up and really aim their bullets at Tony Fauci — people could recognize there's a person there.” In October, Cruz tweeted, “It’s a crime to knowingly lie to Congress, so I asked AG [Merrick] Garland if he'd appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Fauci.” Regarding that specific accusation, Fauci stated, “It's easy to criticize, but they're really criticizing science because I represent science. That's dangerous,” adding, “I'm just going to do my job and I'm going to be saving lives and they're going to be lying.” Politico notes, “Fauci’s remarks have come under fire not only from Cruz, but other Republican lawmakers such as Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Tom Cotton (Ark.), though NIH maintained it had not provided money for such research. Cruz and Cotton have pointed to an October letter highlighting specific grant funding from the NIH that aided a certain aspect of coronavirus research at the lab to bolster their claim that Fauci lied.”
U.S. Economy
Fed Chair Powell: Fed May Pull Back Economic Support
On Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that the Fed might pull back its emergency economic support efforts due to increased inflation (Politico, WSJ). Powell told a Senate Banking Committee hearing, “The economy is very strong and inflationary pressures are high, and it is therefore appropriate in my view to consider wrapping up the taper of our asset purchases, which we actually announced at the November meeting, perhaps a few months sooner.” The Wall Street Journal writes, “The Fed closed a chapter on its aggressive pandemic policy response when it approved plans at its last meeting on Nov. 2-3 to shrink, or taper, its $120 billion monthly asset-purchase program by $15 billion in each of November and December. At that pace, the asset purchases would end next June. The Fed wants to end the asset purchases before it lifts interest rates, which it held near zero.” According to the Journal current discussions could see the taper end in March 2022. Powell also noted that the Fed has not made any decisions based on new information regarding the Omicron variant but hopes to have data on that issue before it makes further decisions.
Stocks Fall on News of Powell Comments, Omicron Worries
The U.S. stock market closed with stocks having dropped in price on Tuesday, with most attributing the fall to worries about the Omicron variant and Federal Reserve Chair Powell’s comment about accelerating the tapering of Federal Reserve economic support due to inflation (NYT, WSJ). The Wall Street Journal writes, “The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average both fell 1.9%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 1.6%. Major indexes closed higher Monday, rebounding from a sharp selloff last week.” Nick Frelinghuysen, an equities portfolio manager at Chilton Trust, for example, stated, “What’s happening today is volatility in the context of what is confirmation from Fed that they’re going to go a little bit quicker combined with a lot of uncertainty around the omicron variant and what that might mean as far as travel restrictions or potentially lockdowns.”
U.S. Society
Fewer Americans Shopped This Thanksgiving Than Last Thanksgiving
According to data released by the National Retail Federation, fewer Americans shopped over this year’s Thanksgiving weekend than did during last year’s Thanksgiving weekend (WaPo). The Washington Post writes, “An estimated 180 million Americans shopped in stores or online in the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, down from 186 million last year and 190 million in 2019, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said.” However, it is possible that Americans just began shopping earlier. The Post notes regarding this possibility that retail sales had a “significant rise” in October. The Omicron variant may also play into the reduced numbers. Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, told the Post, “A lot of consumers are holding their breath, trying to figure out what’s going on with the omicron variant.”
Counterfeit N-95 Masks Widespread Even as Masks are in Supply
The New York Times reports that counterfeit N-95 masks are widespread on e-commerce sites even as supplies of real N-95 masks are available (NYT). The Times writes, “Consumers who try to purchase N95 masks, mainly on Amazon, are often led to vendors selling fake or poorly made KN95s, a Chinese-made mask that is often marketed as an N95 equivalent despite the lack of testing by U.S. regulators to confirm virus-filtering claims. In fact, KN95 masks offered on Amazon and through other retailers are being sold without authorization for use in health care settings from the Food and Drug Administration, which last July revoked its emergency use authorization for imported masks that lack approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a category that includes all KN95s from China.” Anne Miller, the executive director of Project N95, a nonprofit monitoring the issue, told the Times, “It’s really the Wild West out there with so many bad actors ripping people off.” In a statement, Amazon said, “Before listing N95 and KN95 masks in our store, we verify that they are sourced from a trusted manufacturer by reviewing product packing, product description and invoices to trace the inventory, and we verify that the mask is not listed on the C.D.C.’s counterfeit mask list.”
Analysis & Arguments
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