Click here to subscribe to the daily brief.

October 25, 2021 - Brief Issue 255

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

U.S. FDA Review Paves Way for Covid Vaccine for Kids (Health & Science)

U.S. CDC Encourages Halloween Activities, Other Celebrations (Health & Science)

Cases Grow in Germany, State of Emergency Set to Expire (Around the World)

Eastern European Outbreak Worsens (Around the World)

Dozens of New Cases in China, Children as Young as Three to be Vaccinated (Around the World)

Treasury Secretary Yellen: Inflation Will Linger for Months, Ease in 2022 (U.S. Government & Politics)

U.S. Companies Expect Customers Will Keep Paying High Prices (U.S. Economy)

Single People Increasingly Out of Luck Amid Housing Supply Issues, High Prices (U.S. Economy)

The New York City Vaccine Refusers Who Quit Their Jobs, as Most Workers Got Vaccinated (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 45,444,779 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 735,941 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 413,645,478 vaccine doses, with 66.4% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 57.4% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 79.5% have received at least one dose, and 68.9% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 6.8% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 243,752,745 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 4,950,324 deaths.

U.S. FDA Review Paves Way for Covid Vaccine for Kids

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is poised to be made available to children ages 5-11 after a Food and Drug Administration review found the benefits outweigh the risks (WaPo). The review, which is the first independent evaluation of company data, looked at four different scenarios, determining that “the benefits … clearly outweigh the risks” except in one instance, when the virus was at its lowest levels and where a possibility for more hospitalizations related to a rare heart side effect than from Covid-19 existed. In a separate document released by Pfizer-BioNTech on Friday, the company reported that their vaccine is 91% effective in 5-11 year old children. 

On Tuesday, outside experts will meet to consider the data and inform the FDA’s decision on authorizing the vaccines for children. If authorized, vaccine eligibility would open to an estimated 28 million children (NYT). Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease official, projecteted a timetable for children to be vaccinated with at least one dose by early November. Pfizer’s data “look good as to the efficacy and safety,” Dr. Fauci said on ABC’s news program, “This Week.”

U.S. CDC Encourages Halloween Activities, Other Celebrations

On Sunday CDC Director Rochelle Walensky encouraged Halloween celebrations and other holiday festivities in spite of the pandemic while still urging “prevention strategies” (Politico). Speaking to host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday,” she said, “I would say put on those costumes, stay outside and enjoy your trick-or-treating.“ Walensky also referenced other upcoming holidays and said: “It's critically important that we gather, that we be together with family and friends during these holidays and we have the prevention strategies that we know work to be safe for those holidays. So what I would say is get yourself vaccinated before you gather; it will absolutely be safer if you're vaccinated. Any activity that is outdoors is safer than it is if it's indoors. And if you are gathering multiple households, make sure as many people are vaccinated as possible so you can protect the people who are vulnerable, who might not yet be vaccinated.”

South Africa Tries to Replicate Moderna’s Shot to End Vaccine Inequality

Scientists in South Africa, with the backing of the World Health Organization, are trying to replicate Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine by reverse engineering it. The goal is to make “an end run around an industry that has vastly prioritized rich countries over poor in both sales and manufacturing,” writes the AP. The WHO is coordinating a vaccine research, training, and production hub in South Africa in addition to a supply chain for the raw materials. “We are doing this for Africa at this moment, and that drives us,” said Emile Hendricks, a 22-year-old biotechnologist for Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, the company trying to reproduce the Moderna shot. “We can no longer rely on these big superpowers to come in and save us.” 

Only 0.7% of vaccines have gone to low-income countries so far, according to an analysis by the People’s Vaccine Alliance. The WHO has never directly taken part in replicating a novel vaccine for global use over the objections of the original developers. “This is the first time we’re doing it to this level, because of the urgency and also because of the novelty of this technology,” said Martin Friede, a WHO vaccine research coordinator who is helping direct the hub.

Around the World

Cases Grow in Germany, State of Emergency Set to Expire

New coronavirus cases in Germany have increased 57% in the past two weeks, concerning German health officials ahead of the expiration of a national state of emergency next month, on Nov. 25. Germany is recording about 12,775 daily cases on average recently, a surge driven by the easing of lockdown restrictions and variants of the virus. Health minister Jens Spahn noted the high vaccination rate in the country: about 70% of the population has received at least one dose (NYT). Pandemic restrictions in Germany have been set individually by the 16 states but generally masks are still required in public transportation and in stores. 

Eastern European Outbreak Worsens

On Sunday, the number of coronavirus infections recorded in Eastern Europe continued to steadily rise averaging 83,700 per day and surpassing 20 million since the start of the pandemic as the region battles its worst outbreak yet (Reuters). Less than half of the population of the region has received a single dose of coronavirus vaccine. Hungary has the highest vaccination rate in the region, with 62% of its population having had at least one shot. Ukraine has the lowest vaccination rate with just 19% of its population having had one shot. Ukraine announced on Friday that schools in Kyiv would be closed for two weeks and would only be allowed to reopen if all teachers are vaccinated (Reuters).

Vaccine hesitancy and mistrust of government combined with logistical problems rolling out vaccinations have contributed to the current outbreak (Al Jazeera). A European Commission poll, the Eurobarometer, has shown that at least one person in three in most countries in the European Union's east does not trust the healthcare system, compared to a bloc average of 18%. The colder weather that is driving people indoors for gatherings and dining hasn’t helped. 

Dozens of New Cases in China, Children as Young as Three to be Vaccinated

On Saturday China reported 26 new cases of coronavirus as the spread of cases linked to domestic vacation travel continues to surface (NYT). Officials have ordered mass testing and lockdowns in some areas to try to stem the spread in Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Ningxia as well as in Beijing. Friday’s case count of 38 was the highest number since mid-September. Beijing sealed off part of the Changping district for large-scale testing and asked residents not to leave the city. In Gansu, five cities closed tourist attractions, theaters, and other public places. 

In recent days local city and provincial level governments in at least five provinces issued notices that children ages 3-11 will be required to get vaccinated (AP). China had in June approved two vaccines -- Sinopharm’s from the Beijing Institute of Biological Products and Sinovac’s -- for children aged 3-17 but has so far only vaccinated those over the age of 12. Around 76% of China’s population has been fully vaccinated. 

U.S. Government & Politics

Treasury Secretary Yellen: Inflation Will Linger for Months, Ease in 2022

On Sunday U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that she expects inflation to linger for months before easing in 2022 (Politico). Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, she said, “The Covid shock to the economy has caused disruptions that we'll be working through over the next year. And, of course, Americans have not seen inflation like we have experienced recently in a long time.” Yellen also discussed the labor shortage, pointing to continued issues regarding the health of workers and child care amid the pandemic as key factors.

U.S. Economy

U.S. Companies Expect Customers Will Keep Paying High Prices

The Wall Street Journal reports that many U.S. companies expect that customers will remain willing to pay higher prices amid inflationary trends tied to the pandemic (WSJ). The Journal writes, “Corporate giants including Procter & Gamble Co., Nestlé SA and Verizon Communications Inc. say they plan to continue raising prices or pushing customers to buy more expensive products into 2022 to offset fast-growing costs amid a global supply-chain crisis. Gillette razors, Nestlé coffee and Chipotle burritos are among the products that could get more expensive in coming months. Price increases so far have paid off for makers of household staples as shoppers, particularly in the U.S. and Western Europe, have remained loyal to big-name brands.” Last week, P&G finance chief Andre Schulten expressed the general confidence of companies as they raise prices, saying, “We have not seen any material reaction from consumers,” adding, “So that makes us feel good about our relative position.” The particular character of the pandemic’s impact provides some reassurance for companies that seek to offset rising costs, particularly due to supply chain disruptions, by increasing prices. The Journal explains, “Many consumers accumulated savings amid the pandemic and are benefiting from higher wages, leaving them with extra cash as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus keeps them home and lessens the appeal of dining out, staying in hotels and traveling by air.”

Single People Increasingly Out of Luck Amid Housing Supply Issues, High Prices

The Wall Street Journal reports that the housing market during the pandemic has left single people looking to buy homes in a poor position (WSJ). Low interest rates have drawn many single people to the search for homes, and single homeowners are a growing demographic. The Journal writes, “Solo people heading up their own households are a growing part of the population. The number of one-person households in the United States doubled in the last 40 years, rising to 36.1 million in 2020 from 18.2 million in 1980. Of that group, 19% identify as members of the millennial generation, while another 19% belong to Gen X. About 39% of sole-person households identify as baby boomers and 3% as Gen Z.” However, housing supply is short amid a booming housing market, leading in many cases to rising prices. The Journal writes, “the number of single people looking to put down roots is rising, the pool of available options is shrinking. The supply of entry-level housing, which Freddie Mac defines as homes up to 1,400 square feet, is near a five-decade low. The result is bidding wars on properties, with some young people being cut out of the wealth growth that homeownership can bring.” The Journal adds, “For home purchases in September 2021, the median sales price for homes purchased by single buyers was $265,000, according to a data analysis from the Housing Center at the American Enterprise Institute. The overall national median home price hit $352,800 last month, according to NAR.” ​

U.S. Society

Bonus Read: “Covid put music festivals on hold. Climate change might offer bigger long-term problems,” (WaPo).

The New York City Vaccine Refusers Who Quit Their Jobs, as Most Workers Got Vaccinated

The New York Times profiles some of New York City’s public employees who have refused vaccination even as the city makes it a requirement for employment (NYT). The Times notes that most New Yorkers have complied with the mandate, writing, “Under the threat of losing their jobs, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers finally got a Covid-19 vaccine. Teachers, nurses and home health aides accepted their occupations’ mandates. The mass resignations some experts had predicted did not occur, as most workers hurriedly got inoculated.” However, there are those who haven’t including about 4% of the city’s public school employees. Among them is Josephine Valdez, a 30-year-old public school paraprofessional who told the Times, “The kids, they were telling me not to leave, to just go get the vaccine,” adding, “I had to explain to them, the government doesn’t own my body.” The Times writes that among those refusers they interviewed fear and opposition to vaccination mandates on principle played an important role, writing, “In interviews, New Yorkers who have given up their livelihoods spoke of their opposition to the vaccines as rooted in fear or, more commonly, in a deeply held conviction — resistance to vaccination as a principle to live by, one they put above any health, job or financial consideration.” Even as some New Yorkers hold out against the mandate, the Times notes, “the mandates appear to be working. About 84 percent of adult New Yorkers have now received at least one vaccine dose in the face of state and city mandates, as well as requirements imposed by some private companies.”

Analysis & Arguments

James Heathers writes on the “real scandal” surrounding the rise of Ivermectin (Atlantic).

 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.