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March 10, 2022 - Brief Issue 298

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

Pfizer Will Test Antiviral for Kids (Health & Science)

Blood-Plasma Donors from Mexico Blocked, Threatening Supply (Health & Science)

Hong Kong’s Mixed Messages on Pandemic Response Create Panic (Around the World)

Austria Ends Vaccine Mandate (Around the World)

Netanyahu Tests Positive (Around the World)

Djokovic Still Won’t Get Vaccinated, Can’t Enter U.S. (Around the World)

Biden Officials Signal Possible Extension of Student Loan Freeze (U.S. Government & Politics)

HHS Says It’s Out of Covid Funds, Efforts Continue to Find More Covid Funding (U.S. Government & Politics)

Job Openings, Number of People Quitting Remained Near Record Levels in January (U.S. Economy)

Survey: Americans Feeling the Impact of Inflation (U.S. Economy)

Campbell Soup Sales Fall Amid Supply and Labor Constraints (U.S. Economy)

Digitized Social Services Make Major Strides During the Pandemic (U.S. Society)

Rise in Meat Prices Affects Texas Barbecue (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 79,406,602 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 963,819 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 555,897,985 vaccine doses, with 76.6% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 65.2% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 88.1% have received at least one dose, and 75.1% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 44.1% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 451,810,002 cases of coronavirus, with 6,023,941 deaths.

Pfizer Will Test Antiviral for Kids

Pfizer announced on Wednesday that it will begin Phase II/III testing of its Covid-19 antiviral pill in children (Politico). The drug, called Paxlovid, is a combination of two antivirals. It was authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Dec. 2021 to treat Covid-19 in high risk individuals 12 years and older. The upcoming trial will test the drug at different doses for children as young as 6 years old who test positive for Covid-19 and are not hospitalized but are at risk of developing severe disease. The trials will include around 140 children aged 6 to 17. “We are proud to expand studies of our novel Covid-19 treatment to include pediatric participants to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of this treatment in this important population,” Mikael Dolsten, the company’s chief scientific officer and president of worldwide research, development and medical at Pfizer, said in a statement. Currently, children account for nearly 18% of Covid-19 cases and more than 100,000 children have been hospitalized due to Covid-19. 

Blood-Plasma Donors from Mexico Blocked, Threatening Supply

U.S. officials and pharmaceutical companies are in disagreement over whether to allow people to cross the border from Mexico to give blood plasma for a fee. Blood plasma is a critical ingredient in many treatments for neurological and autoimmune diseases and up to 10% of plasma collected in the U.S. comes from Mexican nationals entering on visitor visas and being paid to donate. Last June, U.S. border officials said they would halt the practice because being paid to donate isn’t allowed under the visitor visa. While pharmaceutical companies are in the process of asking federal courts to overturn the decision, healthcare experts say a dangerous shortage is nearing. “We’re very, very nervous that we’re just on the cusp of possibly a very major shortage,” said Lisa Butler, executive director of Philadelphia-based GBS|CIDP Foundation International, which represents people with rare neurological disorders who often need immunoglobulin, which is extracted from plasma (WSJ). The number of people providing plasma declined during the pandemic.

Around the World

Hong Kong’s Mixed Messages on Pandemic Response Create Panic

A surge in coronavirus cases in Hong Kong has caused many residents to flee the city, while those who stay have taken to panic-buying pain and fever medication and groceries. But the uncertainty isn’t just being caused by the climbing cases, it’s also the mixed messages from the government. Hong Kong officials have said they will test all 7.4 million residents but an undertaking of that size would require restricting people’s movements and the government has been ambiguous about imposing a lockdown. Residents are particularly concerned about the government’s approach to treating children who test positive. Two weeks ago, there was public outcry after health workers took an 11-month old girl from her parents and isolated her in a hospital. “I’ve been here most of my life, through everything, and it’s never come to something like the panic I’ve seen by the public,” said Allan Zeman, 72, a property developer and an adviser to Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam (NYT). Bonus Read: “Cathay Pacific Revival Hopes Snuffed Out by Hong Kong’s Zero-Covid Plan,” (WSJ).

Austria Ends Vaccine Mandate

Austria announced plans to become the first Western democracy to impose a vaccine mandate to fight the coronavirus four months ago, but officials have reversed course this week, saying the law is “not proportionate” (NYT). Karoline Edtstadler, the minister responsible for Austria’s constitutional affairs, cited the relatively mild symptoms of the Omicron variant as the reason. About 74% of the population has received two doses. The mandate officially took effect early last month but was not scheduled to be enforced until next Tuesday.

Netanyahu Tests Positive 

Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister of Israel, tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Likud party, Yonatan Ulrich, said that Netanyahu “feels well” and that he was abiding by the country’s coronavirus guidelines, meaning that Netanyahu must now isolate for at least five days and conduct rapid home tests on the fourth and fifth evenings (NYT). Pending test results and symptoms, Netanyahu, who has received four vaccination shots, could leave isolation at the end of the fifth day. Israel’s fifth wave of the coronavirus driven by Omicron has just subsided and the number of new daily cases is around 6,500 on average.

Djokovic Still Won’t Get Vaccinated, Can’t Enter U.S. 

Novak Djokovic, a Serbian tennis star, said Wednesday that he won’t participate in U.S. tennis tournaments due to his vaccination status (NYT). Djokovic was initially included in the list of players for the Indian Wells tennis tournament taking place this week in Southern California. Djokovic has refused to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, saying he wasn’t convinced by the science and said the issue is more important than adding to the 20 Grand Slam tournaments he has won. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the vaccination requirement for those traveling to the U.S. won’t be changing anytime soon and so Djokovic is barred from entering the country. 

U.S. Government & Politics

Biden Officials Signal Possible Extension of Student Loan Freeze

Politico reports that Biden administration officials are signaling that they may extend the freeze on student loan repayment (Politico). Politico writes, “Education Department officials instructed the companies that manage federal student loans to hold off on sending required notices to borrowers about their payments starting, according to three people familiar with the matter. The guidance to loan servicers did not announce a further extension of the payment pause, those people said. But the directive is the clearest indication yet that the Biden administration is leaning toward another extension of the pandemic relief.” Last week, White House chief of staff Ron Klain confirmed that the administration is considering an extension. In March 2020, President Trump signed the CARES Act, which among its various measures responding to the pandemic’s economic impact included a pause on most monthly student loan payments that has remained in place ever since with the Trump and Biden administrations using executive actions to extend the pause on multiple occasions. In December, it looked like Biden would end the pause, but he extended it at the last minute. 

HHS Says It’s Out of Covid Funds, Efforts Continue to Find More Covid Funding

The Washington Post reports that it obtained tables provided to Congress by the Department of Health and Human Services showing that it is out of Covid funding and all of the money allocated by Congress has been allocated (WaPo, Politico). Republicans have emphasized that they want to see a clear accounting for the money before supporting any further authorizations. Meanwhile, the New York Times writes, “Congress is working on Wednesday to pass a $1.5 trillion bill that would devote $15.6 billion toward federal pandemic response efforts, about half of what the Biden administration had initially sought to address the continuing toll of the coronavirus crisis.” An initial deal that would have reallocated funding for states so as to end run around Republican opposition to new spending ran into problems with Democrats objecting to such cuts. Angie Craig, a Democratic Representative of Minnesota told the Times, “This deal was cut behind closed doors, members found out this morning — this is completely unacceptable.” The National Governors Association also voiced opposition to any such cuts.

U.S. Economy

Bonus Read: “Will Inflation Stay High for Decades? One Influential Economist Says Yes,” (WSJ).

Job Openings, Number of People Quitting Remained Near Record Levels in January

On Wednesday, the Department of Labor released data showing that the number of job openings in the U.S. remained near record levels in January (WSJ, NYT). According to the data, there were 11.3 million job openings in January, only slightly lower than the revised 11.4 million openings recorded for December, which was a record high. The New York Times writes that the numbers are “still up about 61 percent from February 2020.” The Wall Street Journal notes, “Separate private-sector figures showed that employers had more than 10.8 million openings at the end of February, according to job search site ZipRecruiter, a slight increase from the prior month’s estimate. Indeed, another job-search site, estimates there were 10.7 million job openings in mid-February. The Labor Department numbers lag behind private-sector data by about a month.” The Times reports, “In a potential sign of the impact wrought by the variant’s spread, several industries that have been rebounding from the pandemic, and been most hungry for workers reported fewer job openings. Accommodation and food services experienced a drop of 288,000. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities reported 132,000 fewer openings.  But openings continue to increase in both manufacturing and the service sector at large.”

The Labor Department data also showed that 4.3 million people quit their jobs in January (WaPo). The number declined slightly from that recorded in December but remained near record highs. Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, told the Washington Post, “It is, by many measures, the tightest labor market ever.” The Post writes, “The number of people who quit their jobs decreased slightly, by 151,000, in January. Even so, quits in the finance and insurance sector rose by 30,000, an indication that white-collar workers are looking for new opportunities as many offices move ahead with reopening plans.”

Survey: Americans Feeling the Impact of Inflation

The New York Times reports that according to a survey conducted for the Times’ “The UpShot” by Morning Consult, almost nine in ten Americans report that they have noticed that prices are rising (NYT). The survey, conducted in mid-February, also asked where people were seeing increased prices. The Times writes, “Collectively, their answers touch on nearly every corner of consumption as the federal government tracks it. Dozens of people responded directly, often angrily, to that effect — that they have seen inflation everywhere.” The Times added, “People volunteered that the prices of bacon, beef, chicken, fruit, furniture, gas and an overnight camping spot were ‘outrageous.’ The price of a dozen roses, a Mountain Dew soda and a rib-eye steak had become ‘ridiculous.’ Many respondents blamed either the Biden administration or corporate greed.” Though the impact of inflation can be life-changing for poorer families while only an annoyance for wealthier ones, the Times notes that income did not substantially shape where people were seeing rising prices.

Campbell Soup Sales Fall Amid Supply and Labor Constraints

On Wednesday, Campbell Soup reported lower sales in its second quarter compared to the same quarter a year earlier (WSJ). Sales declined by 3 percent. The company cited labor and supply constraints imposed by the pandemic as a key cause. The company’s Chief Executive Mark Clouse told investors that the quarter “was challenging as we expected, including industrywide constraints on labor and materials availability made even tougher by the winter Omicron surge, as well as ongoing commodity and logistics inflation.”

Bonus Read: “U.S. Housing Wealth Skewed Even More Toward Affluent Over Past Decade,” (WSJ).

U.S. Society

Digitized Social Services Make Major Strides During the Pandemic

The pandemic left many who rely on in-person health and social services without secure resources and now, in response, a “growing number of states are turning to high-tech solutions that let social workers and health care caseworkers, in some cases even churches and barbershops, get people the help they need” reports Politico. Many organizations, groups, and companies supplying social services are adopting an online platform that allows for quick communication, accountability, and stores practical data that shows where resources are most needed. In some states such as North Carolina and Virginia, the government has aided in the implementation of these platforms, which use technology to share information: “Because people in crisis tend to have multiple needs, the platforms enable referrals to move in multiple directions. A health system can refer someone to a housing agency; a housing agency can refer a client for health care. If a food pantry learns that a family who just came in for peanut butter and baby formula is about to have their utilities cut off, it can send out the SOS.” At the start of 2022 the major platform Unite Us had connections to at least 43 states.

Rise in Meat Prices Affects Texas Barbecue

The pandemic generated an immense rise in the price of meat due to supply-chain issues, affecting the barbecue industry in Texas. One restaurant in the Lone Star state has had to raise the price of its massive beef rib platter from $18.99 to $32.99. Restaurants across the state are trying to make up for this cost by adding an assortment of side dishes in addition to liquor permits. The Wall Street Journal writes that barbecue businesses “traffic in huge quantities of meat, typically sold by the pound, and often have few other offerings to offset price fluctuations. Texas barbecue is dominated by brisket, which many restaurant owners said have doubled in wholesale price over the past year or two.” The president of the Texas Restaurant Association notes that small town barbecue joints are functioning with the fear of having to shut down. Unlike those who own urban restaurants, tiny Texan barbecue businesses can’t keep up with the surge in prices—"Raising sandwich prices has already caused [one small town owner] to lose some of the locals he used to see during the week, he said, but weekend visits from tourists have kept him afloat.”

Analysis & Arguments

Scott A. Small writes on the benefits of forgetting when it comes to the pandemic (NYT).

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The Brief is edited by David Sterman and Emily Schneider with Senior Editor Peter Bergen.

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