No images? Click here Click here to subscribe to the daily brief. February 16, 2022 - Brief Issue 287 The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University. Please consider making a donation to support our ongoing analysis of the most important news and headlines surrounding Covid-19. Top Headlines Instead of Chasing Variants, Scientists Pursue Universal Vaccine (Health & Science) Was the ‘Russian Flu’ Really a Coronavirus Pandemic? (Health & Science) Vaccination During Pregnancy Prevents Infant’s Hospitalization for Covid, New Study Says (Health & Science) Ottawa Police Chief Resigns but Blockades Remain; Police Discover Weapons Cache Among Alberta Protestors (Around the World) Djokovich Prepared to Miss Grand Slam Events Rather Than Get Vaccinated (Around the World) Covid Cases Inside Olympic ‘Loop’ Drop to Almost Zero (Around the World) Covid Wave in Decline in Israel (Around the World) New York City Fires 1,430 Municipal Workers Due to Vaccine Mandate (U.S. Government & Politics) Surgeon General: Four Year Old Daughter Has Covid (U.S. Government & Politics) Supplier Prices Increased in January (U.S. Economy) Tyson Foods Will Ease Mask Requirements at Some Processing Plants (U.S. Economy) Farmers and Shoppers Experience Heightened Prices due to Inflation and the Pandemic (U.S. Society) Health & Science There have been 78,039,888 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 925,560 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 547,948,656 vaccine doses, with 76% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 64.5% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 87.5% have received at least one dose, and 74.6% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 43% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 415,769,578 cases of coronavirus, with 5,839,809 deaths. Instead of Chasing Variants, Scientists Pursue Universal Vaccine As the Omicron wave begins to decline in many parts of the world, scientists and researchers are questioning whether chasing the latest variant of the coronavirus is a viable long term approach. Drug companies have rebooted vaccines to try to match new variants; vaccines to fight Beta, Delta, and now Omicron have been produced but not put into circulation yet. But to many scientists, this approach is short-sighted and unsustainable (WaPo). “You don’t want to play this whack-a-mole approach,” said David R. Martinez, a viral immunologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “This could go on forever.” Scientists like Martinez are now pursuing a vaccine that would foster broad protection against not only the current variants of SARS-CoV-2, but those that have yet to emerge. In the U.S., Anthony S. Fauci, the administration’s top medical advisor, has stressed the need for patience but has also stressed the urgency for filling this gap. “You shouldn’t confuse the rapidity and the ease with which we developed a coronavirus vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 with the extraordinary obstacles you might face in trying to get a vaccine that protects” more broadly, Fauci said in an interview with the Washington Post. “There’s a lot of scientific discovery that needs to go into that.” Results are expected soon from the first human tests of a different “pan-SARS” vaccine developed by scientists at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. According to the Post, “In early studies, they have also shown to provide broader protection than the first-generation shots. It consists of a many-sided nanoparticle dotted with the spike found on the original version of the coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China.” Some scientists are working on vaccines that use different protein spikes patched together from different coronaviruses while others are trying to build cocktail vaccines that contain combinations of nanoparticles with fragments from different variants of the virus. Was the ‘Russian Flu’ Really a Coronavirus Pandemic? Researchers and historians have begun taking a closer look at a virus that swept the world more than a century ago: the so-called Russian flu. In May 1889 a respiratory virus began infecting people in the Russian Empire and soon spread to the rest of the world, overwhelming hospitals and taking a devastating toll among the elderly. The Russian flu’s patterns of infection and symptoms have led some virologists and historians to wonder if it might have actually been a coronavirus pandemic, and if so, whether it could hold clues about how the current pandemic will play out. Some believe that the coronavirus that caused the Russian flu could still be circulating and one of its descendants is now one of the four coronaviruses that cause the common cold. If that’s the case, it would make it different from flu pandemics where the virus is replaced by a new variant each year. But, some historians caution that the Russian flu hypothesis could be a stretch. “There is very little, almost no hard data” on the Russian flu pandemic, said Frank Snowden at Yale (NYT). Vaccination During Pregnancy Prevents Infant’s Hospitalization for Covid, New Study Says Infants whose mothers received two doses of an mRNA coronavirus vaccine during pregnancy are less likely to be admitted to the hospital for Covid-19 in the first six months of life, a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found (NYT). Maternal vaccination was 61% effective at preventing infant hospitalization, according to researchers, and vaccination after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy appeared to provide better protection compared to vaccination during early pregnancy. “The bottom line is that maternal vaccination is a really important way to help protect these young infants,” Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman, chief of the Infant Outcomes Monitoring Research and Prevention Branch at the C.D.C., said at a news briefing on Tuesday. The study focused on children under six months of age who were admitted to one of 20 U.S. pediatric hospitals between July 1 and Jan. 17. There were 379 infants in the study, 176 of whom were admitted for Covid-19 or symptoms and tested positive and 203 who tested negative. Among those with Covid-19, 16% of the mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy, compared to 32% of the mothers of hospitalized children without the virus. Around the World Ottawa Police Chief Resigns but Blockades Remain; Police Discover Weapons Cache Among Alberta Protestors Ottawa’s Chief of Police, Peter Sloly, resigned on Tuesday after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau intervened to try to quell the protests that have beleaguered the Canadian capital for three weeks (CBC, Politico, NYT). On Monday, Trudeau took the rare step of declaring a national public order emergency to try to end the protests. It’s the first time a Canadian government has taken such action in half a century. The protests have disrupted daily life for many residents in the city but have also had broader implications for the local economy. Other cities across the country have also seen protests. The response by police to the crisis was widely criticized as inadequate and Trudeau has come under fire for not stepping in sooner. Ottawa has a police force of fewer than 1,500 officers and even though Chief Sloly requested additional officers, but the support has yet to arrive. Tamara Lich, a spokeswoman for the Ottawa protesters, operating under the Freedom Convoy 2022 banner, said the government’s plan was unlikely to dent demonstrators’ resolve (WSJ). Lich and other protesters say they won’t move until the government drops all Covid-19 vaccine mandates and related restrictions. “We will hold the line. There are no threats that will frighten us,” Ms. Lich said at a news conference. Under the new measures invoked by Trudeau, the police will be able to seize trucks and other vehicles currently being used in the blockades and will ban demonstrations that “go beyond lawful protest” (NYT). It would also allow the authorities to designate no-protest zones in areas around the border. "These blockades are illegal, and if you are still participating the time to go home is now," Trudeau told reporters after a virtual meeting with province leaders, The Associated Press reported. Trudeau says the emergency order "will be time-limited, geographically targeted" as well as "reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address" (NPR). In Alberta, traffic began flowing again at a border crossing early Tuesday morning as protestors there vacated the site of a blockade (WaPo). The demonstration against coronavirus restrictions and mandatory vaccinations had blocked the border in Coutts, Alberta. The police discovered and seized a stockpile of weapons on Monday and arrested 13 people. Jason Kennedy, the premier of Alberta, said that while the vast majority of protestors were law-abiding, a “small cell of people” had wanted to proceed in a “dark and dangerous direction.” Bonus Read: “Canadians are responsible for roughly half of the money raised online for the trucker convoy, leaked data shows,” (NYT). Djokovich Prepared to Miss Grand Slam Events Rather Than Get Vaccinated Novak Djokovic said in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday that he was willing to miss the French Open, Wimbledon, and other tournaments if he was required to get a coronavirus vaccine to compete. Saying the freedom to choose what goes in to his body was “more important than any title, or anything else,” the Serbian tennis star maintained that he is not against vaccinations generally and does not want to be associated with the anti-vaccination movement, but that his decision about the coronavirus vaccine was personal (NYT). Covid Cases Inside Olympic ‘Loop’ Drop to Almost Zero On Monday, only one person inside the closed Olympic “loop” tested positive for the coronavirus, a sign that the stringent testing and isolation protocols have been working (NYT). Over the weekend, three people tested positive each day and the totals have been in the single digits on seven of the past eight days. Beijing implemented the most rigid protocols ever seen at the Olympics–even more stringent than those in place in Tokyo over the summer. Athletes, journalists, workers, and anyone involved in the games are confined to the loop and repeatedly tested. Officials are conducting about 60,000 tests per day within the loop alone. Covid Wave in Decline in Israel On Monday, there were 23,555 new coronavirus cases reported in Israel, continuing a downward trend according to the Health Ministry. The number of Israelis who received their fourth vaccine is almost up to 700,000 people. There’s optimism about this year’s Purim holiday, which has been limited since 2020 due to the pandemic. "It's not that there won't be any cases, but it won't be like it's been," said Weizmann Institute scientist Prof. Eran Segal (JPost). "We are in a three-week-long stretch of a decline in cases," he said, "it stands at a 20% decrease. I don't think we'll be seeing a rise of this wave again." U.S. Government & Politics New York City Fires 1,430 Municipal Workers Due to Vaccine Mandate On Monday, New York City confirmed that it had fired 1,430 municipal workers, who failed to comply with the city’s vaccine mandate, constituting less than 1% of the city’s workforce (Politico). Politico writes, “The workers who were let go fell into two categories: new hires who got their first dose but never submitted proof of their second dose, and staff who were placed on leave without pay and opted out of their health coverage because they refused to get vaccinated. The city fired just two workers in the first category and 1,428 employees in the second.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated, “Our goal was always to vaccinate, not terminate, and city workers stepped up and met the goal placed before them,” adding, “Out of all the new city employees who received notices two weeks ago, only two who worked last week are no longer employed by the city. I’m grateful to all the city workers who continue to serve New Yorkers and ‘Get Stuff Done’ for the greatest city in the world.” The New York City Department of Education made up the bulk of employees let go with 914 people being fired as a result of the mandate. Politico writes, “other agencies that fired staff over the vaccine mandate include the New York City Housing Authority (101 layoffs), Department of Correction (75) and Department of Sanitation (40). About 30 agencies, in total, lost staff.” Surgeon General: Four Year Old Daughter Has Covid On Tuesday, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy took to Twitter to say that his four year old daughter had tested positive for Covid (WaPo). Murthy used his tweets to emphasize the importance of vaccination, writing, “While our child will likely be ok given she’s young and otherwise healthy, I know parents with higher risk kids may worry more. Few things are worse than worrying about your child’s health. The more we all get vaccinated and take precautions, the more we can protect all our kids.” He also addressed the lack of authorization for vaccinating children under five, tweeting, “I wish a vaccine was available for my child and for all kids <5. It would protect kids and help parents. Unfortunately more data is still needed from clinical trials for the FDA to make a full assessment. I know a safe, effective vaccine for <5s remains a top priority for them.” The Post writes, “The Food and Drug Administration is holding off on a decision about a vaccine for children under 5 until a third dose becomes available, meaning the shots might not come out until mid-April at the earliest. Murthy said that while he wished that a vaccine for that age group was accessible now, more data is needed from clinical trials. He added that he knows that having a safe and effective vaccine is a top FDA priority.” Murthy also referenced the difficulty of parenting during the pandemic. U.S. Economy Supplier Prices Increased in January On Tuesday, the Department of Labor released data showing that suppliers increased their prices in January (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal reports, “the producer-price index, which generally reflects supply conditions in the economy, rose a seasonally adjusted 1% in January from the prior month, the sharpest rise since May 2021 and a pickup from December’s revised 0.4% rise. The gains reflect pandemic-related disruptions from the Omicron variant of Covid-19 at the start of the year and continued strength in consumer demand, economists said.” Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, told the Journal, “Overall, producer prices remain elevated and close to historic highs.” The Journal notes, “Producer prices rose 9.7% on a 12-month basis, nearly the same as the prior month. Stripping out pandemic-driven data distortions still showed that inflation was unusually elevated. Producer prices jumped at a 5.6% annualized rate from the same month two years ago, the fastest pace since records began in 2012 and well above the pre-pandemic peak of 2.9% in October 2018.” The Journal adds that the price increases may encourage the Federal Reserve to further raise interest rates beyond the increase widely expected in March in order to try and manage inflation. Tyson Foods Will Ease Mask Requirements at Some Processing Plants Tyson Foods, one of the nation’s leading meat producers and among the first national companies to impose a mask mandate, is planning to relax its mask mandate for workers at some meat processing plants, according to the New York Times (NYT). Tyson Foods announced the plan on Tuesday, and as the Times writes, “It joined companies like Walmart and states like New York that have moved to loosen restrictions in hopes of achieving a new normal in the absence of revised national guidelines.” A memo sent to employees from Tom Brower, the company’s senior vice president of health and safety, read, “Due to our many efforts, and most importantly, our enterprisewide vaccinated status, we’ve seen lower rates of Covid-19 infection, as well as extremely low rates of serious illness at Tyson.” Meat processing plants were a major focus of discussion and criticism in the early stages of the pandemic as they were both sites of significant outbreaks and an important part of the U.S. economy and food system. The Times notes that Tyson employs 120,000 people across more than twelve states. U.S. Society Farmers and Shoppers Experience Heightened Prices due to Inflation and the Pandemic Farmers are struggling with the impact of inflation and the pandemic on their business (WSJ). Analysts suggest that the rising costs of farming will also have an impact on consumers’ grocery bills, which were already the highest they’ve been in 2021 in the last ten years. The Wall Street Journal reports on the immense rise costs for farmers: “Mr. Barnes [a farmer in North Carolina] in the spring of 2021 said he paid $16 a gallon for Bayer AG’s Roundup, the world’s most commonly used weedkiller, for his crops. By September he bought it for about $40 a gallon and in February, his Nutrien Ltd. retailer told him it was $60 a gallon, he said.” Global supply-chain challenges, climate change, and energy restrictions are all among reasons farmers (and consequently grocery shoppers) are seeing a rise in cost. Experts on the subject estimate that these challenges are here to stay beyond 2022. Bonus Read: “The Pandemic Deepened Fault Lines in American Society,” (Scientific American). Analysis & Arguments Yasmin Tayag writes on the uncertainty that follows the Omicron surge (Atlantic). Elinor Carucci examines the impact of Covid on New York teens through photographs (New Yorker). 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. Read previous briefs here and stream and subscribe to our weekly podcast here. About New America New America is dedicated to renewing the promise of America by continuing the quest to realize our nation's highest ideals. Read the rest of our story, or see what we've been doing recently in our latest Annual Report. Help us to continue advancing policy solutions and journalism by making a donation to New America. |