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January 25, 2022 - Brief Issue 279
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
WHO Officials Say Omicron Could Offer Hope But Remain Cautious (Health & Science)
Study: Antibodies that Block Omicron Still Effective Four Months After Pfizer Booster (Health & Science)
U.S. Officials Limit Use of Treatments Proven Ineffective Against Omicron (Health & Science)
Rich Nations Recruit Nurses from Poorer Parts of the World (Around the World)
Hong Kong Officials at Odds with Cathay Pacific Airline, Tighten Quarantine Measures for Aircrew (Around the World)
South Korea’s Cases Top 8,000 for First Time (Around the World)
UN: Setbacks for Schooling ‘Nearly Insurmountable’(Around the World)
Sarah Palin Tests Positive, Delaying NYT Lawsuit (U.S. Government & Politics)
Seven Virginia School Boards Sue to Stop Youngkin’s Ban on Mask Mandates (U.S. Government & Politics)
Omicron Slows Global Economy with U.S. Hit Particularly Hard (U.S. Economy)
Health & Science
There have been 71,709,939 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 868,514 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 535,307,175 vaccine doses, with 75.6% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 63.4% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 87.4% have received at least one dose, and 73.9% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 40.1% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 355,326,425 cases of coronavirus, with 5,606,488 deaths.
WHO Officials Say Omicron Could Offer Hope But Remain Cautious
On Monday Dr. Hans Kluge, director for the World Health Organization’s European region, said that the spread of the Omicron variant could set the stage for the pandemic to transition from overwhelming to manageable in Europe this year (NYT). But the official cautioned that immunity from the surge of infections will probably wane and new variants are likely to emerge, which would continue to leave health systems vulnerable. Dr. Kluge warned in a statement released Monday that it was too early for nations to drop their guard, with so many people unvaccinated around the world. But, he said, between vaccination and natural immunity through infection, “Omicron offers plausible hope for stabilization and normalization.” But what a new normal looks like remains to be seen.
Also on Monday, the head of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a WHO executive board meeting, "It’s dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant and that we are in the end game," and added, "on the contrary, globally the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge."
Study: Antibodies that Block Omicron Still Effective Four Months After Pfizer Booster
A new study shows that antibodies that work against the Omicron variant are still present four months after receiving a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine (WaPo). The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, is the first clue about the durability of the coronavirus vaccine and suggests that a fourth booster shot may not be needed right away. “This is very, very new for the field,” said Pei-Yong Shi, a microbiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, whose team tested antibodies in the blood of vaccinated people against an omicron-like virus in collaboration with Pfizer scientists. “That really shows that at least up to four months, post-dose three, there is still substantial neutralizing activity against omicron.”
While the antibodies against the Omicron variant did drop during the four months of the study, they remained high enough that they should still offer protection. Pfizer and BioNTech said in a statement on Monday that they will begin testing both a fourth dose of the original vaccine and an omicron-specific booster shot in human trials.
U.S. Officials Limit Use of Treatments Proven Ineffective Against Omicron
The Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that medical infusions that were once highly effective in the early treatment of Covid-19 are now being limited because it’s been shown that they have little effect on the Omicron variant. The FDA is limiting the emergency use authorizations of Regeneron and Eli LIlly’s medications because the Omicron variant is so prevalent; it’s estimated to account for 99.5% of new cases nationally. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement that data show the two antibody treatments “are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant, which is circulating at a very high frequency throughout the United States” (WaPo). “We’re at such extraordinary levels of Omicron, it doesn’t make sense to continue to administer a product that doesn’t work in the face of potential harm,” a senior Biden administration official told the New York Times.
Bonus Read: “Your friend or relative is home sick with covid. Here’s how to help,” (WaPo).
Around the World
Rich Nations Recruit Nurses from Poorer Parts of the World
The latest surge of the coronavirus fueled by the Omicron variant has prompted wealthy countries to increase their recruitment of nurses from poorer parts of the world, which worsens staffing shortages in the workforces there, according to the International Council of Nurses (Reuters). Howard Catton, CEO of the Geneva-based group that represents 27 million nurses and 130 national organizations, said that sickness, burnout, and staff departures have combined to drive absentee rates to the highest levels since the pandemic began. Western nations have tried to fill open positions by hiring military personnel, volunteers, retirees, and workers from other nations. "We have absolutely seen an increase in international recruitment to places like the UK, Germany, Canada and the United States," Catton said in a Reuters interview based on a report he co-authored on Covid-19 and the global nursing force. "I really fear this 'quick fix solution' – it's a bit similar to what we've been seeing with PPE (personal protective equipment) and vaccines where rich countries have used their economic might to buy and to hoard - if they do that with the nursing workforce it will just make the inequity even worse." Bonus Read: “Omicron Leaves Nurses Stretched Thin and Seeking Help From Burnout,” (WSJ).
Hong Kong Officials at Odds with Cathay Pacific Airline, Tighten Quarantine Measures for Aircrew
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. would be held accountable for any fault after an Omicron outbreak was triggered by returning aircrew that broke quarantine rules (WSJ). Lam’s government is currently investigating whether the airline broke Covid-19 restrictions by allowing passenger flight crew to return on cargo planes in order to be exempted from quarantine requirements. The Journal explains that “about 70 Covid-19 cases have been tied to two returning aircrew members from separate flights since December. Police have charged two former flight attendants—one of whom was tied to a cluster—with violating Covid-19 restrictions.” Hong Kong has recently tightened quarantine measures for returning aircrew on all airlines and requires them to isolate for seven days in a hotel room instead of three days in quarantine at home. It’s another blow for Cathay airlines and other companies that rely on freedom of movement for business purposes. Cathay saw monthly passengers drop by about 95% from pre-pandemic levels.
South Korea’s Cases Top 8,000 for First Time
On Tuesday South Korea’s daily coronavirus cases topped 8,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The highly contagious Omicron variant has contributed to the high numbers that have exceeded the previous peak, which was 7,848 daily cases in mid-December (Reuters). South Korea reinstated strict social-distancing rules in December to try to slow the spread of the virus but officials are concerned that infections could increase due to the Lunar New Year holidays, which start on Saturday. Tens of millions of Koreans usually travel and visit family for the holiday. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum issued a special statement on Monday to ask people to refrain from traveling and gathering, "It is no different to adding fuel to the raging flames if many people move around the country and meet each other," he told a briefing.
UN: Setbacks for Schooling ‘Nearly Insurmountable’
After almost two years of the pandemic, more than 635 million children globally are affected by full or partial school closures, according to a United Nations report released Monday. The report, from the U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF, called the setbacks to education “nearly insurmountable” and said that many children had lost basic numeracy and literacy skills during the prolonged loss of classroom time. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries, where up to 70% of 10-year-olds could not read a simple text, up from 53% before the pandemic (NYT). Globally, the report said, “disruption to education has meant millions of children have significantly missed out on the academic learning they would have acquired if they had been in the classroom, with younger and more marginalized children facing the greatest loss.”
U.S. Government & Politics
Sarah Palin Tests Positive, Delaying NYT Lawsuit
On Monday, Sarah Palin’s libel lawsuit against the New York Times was postponed after the former governor of Alaska and Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008 tested positive for coronavirus (Politico, WSJ, NYT). Politico writes, “Judge Jed Rakoff pushed back jury selection until at least Feb. 3, though he warned the delay could extend further.” Palin, who is not vaccinated, informed the court that she tested positive on two rapid tests over the weekend. She had also tested positive for Covid in March 2021. Palin’s lawsuit revolves around a Times editorial from 2017 linking her to the 2011 shooting that wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Politico explains the case: “The newspaper corrected the editorial to say that no such connection was ever established, and the Times acknowledged it mischaracterized a map put out by Palin’s political action committee that had crosshairs placed over the districts of 20 Democrats, including Giffords'. Palin sued less than two weeks after the editorial was first published, though the case has stretched on for years due to pandemic-related delays and legal wrangling. The case is being closely watched by media advocates for its potential ramifications on the First Amendment and the legal protections extended to journalists and others.” On Monday, Palin’s lawyer told the court, “She wants to be here for jury selection, she wants to testify live.”
Seven Virginia School Boards Sue to Stop Youngkin’s Ban on Mask Mandates
On Monday, seven Virginia school boards filed a lawsuit aiming to halt the ban on mask mandates in schools imposed by Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin (WaPo, NYT). The Washington Post writes, “The school boards, led by Fairfax County Public Schools, whose 180,000 students make it Virginia’s biggest system, filed suit Monday morning in Arlington Circuit Court. The suit asks for an immediate injunction barring enforcement of Youngkin’s order, which sought to leave masking decisions to parents, contravening federal health guidance and the masking mandates that the vast majority of Virginia school districts have maintained throughout the pandemic.” The lawsuit contends that the ban violates Article 8 Section 7 of Virginia’s constitution. That article states, “the supervision of schools in each school division shall be vested in a school board.” They also point to a state law passed over the summer. In a statement, the seven boards (those covering Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Falls Church City Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Hampton City Schools, Prince William County Public Schools and Richmond Public Schools) released a statement reading, “school divisions need to continue to preserve their authority to protect and serve all students, including our most vulnerable who need these mitigation measures perhaps more than anyone."
U.S. Economy
Bonus Read: “Wall Street’s losing streak stretches into a fourth week, with the S&P 500 entering correction territory,” (NYT).
Omicron Slows Global Economy with U.S. Hit Particularly Hard
On Monday, IHS Markit released surveys conducted in early January, showing the spread of Omicron slowed the global economy while hitting the U.S. particularly hard (WSJ). Chris Williamson, the data firm’s chief business economist, stated, “Soaring virus cases have brought the U.S. economy to a near standstill at the start of the year.” The Journal writes, “In the U.S., IHS Markit’s composite purchasing managers Index—which measures activity in both the manufacturing and services sectors—fell to 50.8 in January from 57 in December, to hit an 18-month low. A reading above 50.0 indicates that activity is increasing, while a reading below that threshold points to a decline.” The Journal adds, “Elsewhere in the world, the Omicron variant hit the services sector hard, while doing relatively little damage to manufacturers despite a shortage of workers. In the eurozone the composite PMI dropped to 52.4 from 53.3, an 11-month low. The decline was entirely confined to the services sector. European manufacturing output rose at the fastest rate in five months.” Bonus Read: “Omicron’s Economic Toll: Missing Workers, More Uncertainty and Higher Inflation (Maybe),” (NYT).
Bonus Read: “Inflation Poses Risks of Faster, Less Predictable Fed Rate Increases,” (WSJ).
Analysis & Arguments
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