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July 18, 2022 - Brief Issue 349
The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University.
The brief will be on hiatus tomorrow and will return on July 20.
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Top Headlines
FDA Authorizes Novavax Vaccine (Health & Science)
Booster Shots Helped Fight Spring Surge, Says CDC Data (Health & Science)
Study Shows How Covid Vaccines Affect Menstruation (Health & Science)
UN: Worst Backslide in Global Vaccinations in a Generation (Around the World)
Covid Cases in India at Four-Month High, Vaccinations Hit 2 Billion (Around the World)
China’s Economy Still Slumping (Around the World)
Venezuela’s Vaccination Rate Among Worst in World (Around the World)
Covid Vaccines for Kids Tough to Find in Florida, Many Blame DeSantis (U.S. Government & Politics)
Fed Prepares a .75 Point Interest Rate Hike, Tentatively Discuss Possible Full Point Hike (U.S. Economy)
Comic-Con Issues Mask Mandate (U.S. Society)
Supermarkets and Restaurants Hire Security (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 89,542,371 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 1,023,799 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 599,289,113 vaccine doses, with 78.5% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 67.1% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 89.8% have received at least one dose, and 77% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 48.1% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a first booster shot. 28.5% of Americans aged 50 or older have received a second booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 562,488,294 cases of coronavirus, with 6,369,631 deaths.
FDA Authorizes Novavax Vaccine
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a fourth coronavirus vaccine, developed by Novavax, a Maryland biotechnology company. The two-dose Novavax vaccine is a welcome addition to the country’s toolbox used to fight the virus for people who haven’t been able to or didn’t want to use the MRNA vaccines. The protein-based Novavax vaccine uses a different, more traditional technology to deliver the antibodies needed to fight the virus. Wednesday’s FDA decision “underscores the critical need to offer another vaccine option for the U.S. population while the pandemic continues,” Stanley C. Erck, Novavax’s chief executive, said in a statement (WaPo). Two-thirds of Americans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and the addition of Novavax isn’t expected to have a major impact on the trajectory of the pandemic.
Booster Shots Helped Fight Spring Surge, Says CDC Data
The Omicron subvariants that began taking over in the United States this spring appeared to reduce the protection offered by vaccines against Covid-19 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. But the agency found that first and second booster shots increased people’s level of protection. “Booster doses should be obtained immediately when persons become eligible,” CDC scientists wrote. Although the findings also contained a caveat: “Measurements of vaccine effectiveness have been complicated by the number of unvaccinated people who have been infected by the virus, especially during the wintertime surge of Omicron cases,” writes the New York Times. Since prior infection provides some natural immunity against Covid-19, the studies that compare outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated people are less accurate because the vaccines appear less protective than they actually are. In the CDC’s study, A third dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna shots increased the vaccines’ effectiveness against hospitalization to 69% initially and to 52% after four months or more. “Given recent increases in deaths and hospitalizations associated with the BA.5 variant,” the CDC said on Friday, “everyone should stay up to date with recommended Covid-19 vaccinations, including additional booster doses for those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and adults over 50.”
Study Shows How Covid Vaccines Affect Menstruation
Almost half of participants in the recent study published in the journal Science Advances who were menstruating regularly at the time of the survey reported heavier bleeding during their periods following Covid-19 vaccination. Others who did not typically menstruate also experienced unusual bleeding. The new study was the largest to date and includes more than 39,000 responses from individuals between the ages of 18 and 80 about their cycles. All respondents had been fully vaccinated using approved vaccines in their countries. “I think it’s important that people know this can happen, so they’re not scared, they’re not shocked and they’re not caught without supplies,” said Katharine Lee, a biological anthropologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and the study’s first author. But Dr. Lee noted that the study did not compare results with a control group of people who did not get vaccinated (NYT).
Around the World
Bonus Read: “Did Nature Heal During the Pandemic ‘Anthropause’?” (NYT).
UN: Worst Backslide in Global Vaccinations in a Generation
The coronavirus pandemic brought about the worst backslide in global vaccinations in a generation, according to new data from the United Nations. The data, released Thursday by UNICEF and the World Health Organization showed that the average global childhood coverage for vaccines against 11 key diseases fell from 71% in 2019 to 68% in 2021–the first time in over 30 years the metric dropped. Some key vaccine programs suffered more than others: three-dose coverage against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine was 81% in 2021, down five percentage points from 2019 (WaPo). Drops in coverage for measles and polio are also alarming. “This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunization in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives,” said Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, the U.N. agency focused on childhood health. “Covid-19 is not an excuse” (NYT).
Covid Cases in India at Four-Month High, Vaccinations Hit 2 Billion
In India, Covid-19 vaccinations hit 2 billion on Sunday as booster doses for all adults are currently underway. At the same time, daily infections hit a four-month high, according to official data. "India creates history again!" Modi said in a tweet about the vaccination milestone (Reuters). The prime minister has faced allegations from the opposition of mishandling the pandemic, but the government rejects the claims. India has lifted most Covid-relaed restrictions and international travel has recovered.
China’s Economy Still Slumping
China’s National Bureau of Statistics said today that the economy expanded by only 0.4% in the second quarter, a smaller than expected and lowest growth since the beginning of the pandemic (NYT). The continued mass quarantines and lockdowns are having serious repercussions for businesses and the global economy by extension. Experts believe the continued adherence to the zero-covid policy will wreak havoc among local and global businesses alike but there hasn’t been a clear answer to how the government will transition from that policy to one of living with the virus.
Venezuela’s Vaccination Rate Among Worst in World
The failing healthcare system combined with a decade of political unrest have led to an alarmingly low vaccination rate in Venezuela, not just against Covid-19 but against many diseases (AP). While official data on vaccination rates has been shrouded in secrecy due to corruption and bureaucracy–the country hasn’t published rates since 2015–health experts say many children lack several of the 10 vaccinations recommended by 12 months of age. Those shots include vaccinations against polio, measles, and tuberculosis, as well as measles and diphtheria. The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated issues around access to the vaccines that were already in place due to political turmoil and the rates are lowest in rural areas.
U.S. Government & Politics
Covid Vaccines for Kids Tough to Find in Florida, Many Blame DeSantis
The Washington Post reports that many parents are struggling to get their kids vaccinated for Covid in Florida, and many of them are blaming Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (WaPo). The Post writes regarding Florida parents, “Many are struggling to find places to vaccinate their children, and they blame DeSantis — noting he was the only governor to refuse to preorder the vaccines, and to prohibit county health departments from distributing or administering the shots. Waitlists at pediatrician offices stretch for weeks. Doctor’s offices that have managed to get doses are fielding calls from parents hundreds of miles away. Families debate road trips to neighboring states in the hope of finding shots for their kids.” One parent told the Post that when she tried to get her sons vaccinated, the pediatrician said it would take three weeks, adding, “They told us that because the state didn’t preorder, that put Florida at the end of the line, so we don’t know when it will come in.” The Post writes, “Florida was the only state that declined to preorder the vaccines. ‘That’s not something that we think is appropriate, and so that’s not where we’re going to be utilizing our resources,’ DeSantis said at a June 16 news conference.” DeSantis, whose lack of aggressiveness on vaccines and opposition to Covid restrictions has helped propel his stature as a possible challenger to Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination had referred to vaccines for children as “baby jabs,” while noting, “You are free to choose.” The Post notes, “Recently, DeSantis has picked up a talking point popularized by anti-vaccine groups, arguing that close ties between the government and pharmaceutical companies explain the push to vaccinate people against the coronavirus.”
U.S. Economy
Fed Prepares a .75 Point Interest Rate Hike, Tentatively Discuss Possible Full Point Hike
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Federal Reserve is likely preparing to hike interest rates by another .75 points in an effort to combat inflation, following reports showing inflation reached record highs in June (WSJ). The Journal writes, “Federal Reserve officials have signaled they are likely to raise interest rates by 0.75 percentage point later this month, for the second straight meeting, as part of an aggressive effort to combat high inflation. Policy makers left the door open to a larger, full-percentage-point increase at the July 26-27 gathering. But some of them simultaneously poured cold water on the idea in recent interviews and public comments ahead of their premeeting quiet period, which began Saturday.” The Journal adds, “Fed officials have raised interest rates at their past three meetings, beginning with a quarter-point increase in March. They followed with a half-point rise in May and a 0.75-point increase last month, the largest since 1994. The Fed hasn’t raised rates by a full percentage point since it began using the federal-funds rate as its primary policy-setting tool in the early 1990s.” Bonus Read: “Inflation Has Outpaced Wage Growth. Now It’s Cutting Into Spending,” (WSJ).
Bonus Read: “Grubhub Hustles to Catch Up in Business It Once Led,” (WSJ).
U.S. Society
Comic-Con Issues Mask Mandate
Comic-Con will have a mask mandate when attendees gather in San Diego for the comics and popular culture convention being held July 21-24 (NYT). The move partially reflects San Diego’s current conditions, but the New York Times notes that organizers say they were planning to be cautious when organizing the event months prior to recent changes in risk in San Diego. The Times writes, “In San Diego, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the community risk level from ‘medium’ to ‘high’ on Thursday. The risk levels, according to the C.D.C., are based on the number of occupied hospital beds and admissions and the total number of new coronavirus cases in a region. Under a ‘high’ designation, the C.D.C. recommends that people wear masks in indoor public spaces. San Diego County ‘strongly recommends,’ yet does not mandate, them.”
Supermarkets and Restaurants Hire Security
As we have covered in prior briefs, the pandemic has seen a rise in crime and threats at retail stores, even leading some unions to include security conditions within their negotiating demands. Now the Wall Street Journal reports that many grocery stores and other businesses are also hiring security and taking other measures to respond to perceived risks (WSJ). The Journal writes, “Restaurants and grocery stores said they are revamping operations in response to crime, with some operators limiting hours, spending more on security and closing stores entirely.” Starbucks closed 16 stores citing increased instances of drug use and disruptions. Starbucks is not alone. The Journal adds, “Casual dining chain Noodles & Co. has encountered drug use in bathrooms in certain markets, and is training workers on how to respond, Chief Executive Dave Boennighausen said. Supermarket giant Kroger Co. last year listed organized theft among the factors pressuring its profit margins for the first time.” The public also appears to be voicing increased concern. The Journal writes, “Forty-four percent of 1,005 adults surveyed earlier this month said they were more fearful to be in public because of bad behavior and rising violence, up from 39% in March, according to a national online survey by food-service research firm Lisa W. Miller & Associates LLC.”
Bonus Read: “Rising Rents Chip Away at Tampa’s Affordability Draw,” (WSJ).
Analysis & Arguments
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