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April 7, 2022 - Brief Issue 313

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

Biden Announces Long Covid Strategy (Health & Science)

FDA Official: U.S. Needs Long-Term Strategy for Variants (Health & Science)

CDC Director Encourages Second Booster; Israeli Study Shows Second Booster Worked Against Omicron, but Protection Waned Quickly (Health & Science)

EU Health Agencies: Too Early for Second Boosters (Around the World)

WHO Warns Against Relaxing Restrictions in Latin America (Around the World)

Japan to Lift Entry Ban for 106 Countries (Around the World)

China’s Service Sector in Decline (Around the World)

Biden Extends Student Loan Repayment Pause (U.S. Government & Politics)

Attorney General, Commerce Secretary Test Positive for Covid as Virus Circulates in DC Elite (U.S. Government & Politics)

May Governors’ Primaries Will Reveal Whether It’s Still Trump’s GOP (U.S. Government & Politics)

Immigration Policy Dispute Threatens to Stall Covid Funding Bill; Democrats Express Concern Over Biden’s Title 42 Messaging (U.S. Government & Politics)

Federal Reserve Governor Brainard Says Fed Committed on Inflation; Fed Minutes Show Interest in Possible Half Point Interest Rate Increase (U.S. Economy)

Covid-19 Hits Broadway (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have been 80,249,038 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 983,817 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 563,391,773 vaccine doses, with 77.1% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 65.7% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 88.5% have received at least one dose, and 75.6% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 45.1% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 495,200,191 cases of coronavirus, with 6,167,271 deaths.

Biden Announces Long Covid Strategy 

On Tuesday President Biden directed government agencies to do more to research and treat long covid. The memorandum issued by Biden puts the Department of Health and Human Services in charge of coordinating a government-wide action plan, which includes issuing a report in 120 days that details services and support available for those who suffer from long covid. Anywhere from 7.7 million to 23 million Americans are afflicted by long covid, according to a recent federal watchdog report. The condition is linked to fatigue, brain fog, and other symptoms that can linger for weeks, months, or even years following a covid-19 infection. According to the Washington Post, “The government will expand a nationwide network of long covid clinics being run through the Department of Veterans Affairs, with officials saying they are already providing new insights on how to care for long covid patients. Federal officials will also launch a new initiative, dubbed the “Health+ project,” to solicit feedback from people living with long covid and use it to shape practices at clinics nationwide.”

FDA Official: U.S. Needs Long-Term Strategy for Variants

Dr. Peter Marks, head of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccines division, said that the authorization of a second booster dose for people over 50 and immunocompromised individuals was a stopgap measure and that asking people to frequently get booster shots wasn’t sustainable. “This is really trying to do the best we can with the knowledge we have at hand, which is something that we’ve had to do a fair amount of over the past two years as a public-health agency,” Dr. Marks on Wednesday told vaccine experts advising the agency (WSJ). The FDA is looking to develop a long-term strategy for Covid-19 vaccinations that would include identifying new strains of the virus and updating the vaccines. But experts believe there will be serious challenges ahead to tweaking vaccines to address current and future variants, especially ahead of the fall and winter months when cases are certain to surge again. “It’s going to be hard to generate all the data we want in short order when a new variant emerges,” said Dr. Ofer Levy, one of the advisers, who is director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

At the same meeting, Robert Johnson, the director of an infectious disease division within the Department of Health and Human Services, outlined a tight timeframe for developing new vaccines by the fall that would better combat the new strains. He said vaccine makers would need several months to produce hundreds of millions of doses of a reconfigured vaccine (NYT). “If you’re not on your way to that clinical trial by the beginning of May, it is very difficult to have collectively across manufacturers enough product to meet that demand,” he told the expert advisory committee to the FDA. The meeting represents a turning point in the U.S. strategy for combating the virus but each expert’s presentation was plagued by uncertainties.

CDC Director Encourages Second Booster; Israeli Study Shows Second Booster Worked Against Omicron, but Protection Waned Quickly

On Tuesday Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the CDC “really would encourage people who are over 50 who have underlying medical conditions and those over the age of 65” to get a second booster shot. The statement was the clearest one to date from the agency on who should get a fourth shot. The Food and Drug Administration authorized a  second booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine for everyone over 50 and for many immunocompromised individuals just last week (NYT). 

A new large study out of Israel showed that a second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech covid vaccine provided additional short-term protection against Omicron infections and severe illness in older adults. But it also showed that that effectiveness waned after just four weeks and almost disappeared after eight weeks. The study focused on adults over the age of 60. The findings, published on Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, add more information to the debate over additional booster doses.

Around the World

Bonus Read: “CDC lowers travel warnings for Canada, two dozen other destinations,” (WaPo).

EU Health Agencies: Too Early for Second Boosters

On Wednesday, European regulators said that it is “too early” for most people to receive a second booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The European Medicine Agency and European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said that data from Israel (which we covered in the section above), indicated that there was an increased risk of severe illness and a lower immune response to vaccination among people aged 80 and older. Officials noted that the Israeli data also suggested that a second booster, given at least four months after the first, saw antibody levels replenished without adding any further safety concerns (NYT). 

“There is no clear evidence at the moment that vaccine protection against severe disease is waning substantially in adults between 60 and 79 years of age with a normal immune system, to support the need of a fourth dose,” Andrea Ammon, the E.C.D.C. director, said in a video statement. “Nevertheless, national authorities should closely monitor the population experiencing severe Covid-19, and decide to use a fourth dose if there are signals of increasing risk among those who already received the third dose,” she said, referring to the 60-to-79 age group.

WHO Warns Against Relaxing Restrictions in Latin America

On Wednesday the World Health Organization expressed concern about some countries in Latin America removing restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus too soon. Dr. Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, a regional arm of the W.H.O., said that even though cases were down overall, they were increasing again in some areas. “We know what has happened elsewhere foreshadows what our region will face,” Dr. Etienne said during a conference call with reporters. “Time and time again we’ve seen how the infection dynamics in Europe are mirrored here just a few weeks later” (NYT). Dr. Etienne said that 240 million people in the Americas were still unvaccinated. 

Japan to Lift Entry Ban for 106 Countries

Japan will ease its Covid-19-related border restrictions on Friday by lifting an entry ban for foreign nationals from 106 countries, including the U.S., Britain, and France (Reuters). But the announcement was not a full reopening to tourism; the foreign ministry said on Wednesday that foreigners from those countries would still not be allowed to enter if their only purpose was tourism. Visitors who are conducting business or attending school would be permitted to enter the country. The government is still keeping its borders closed to 56 other countries. 

China’s Service Sector in Decline

China’s service sector fell at its fastest pace since the beginning of the pandemic in March as lockdowns across the country kept residents at home. The Caixin China services purchasing managers index–a gauge used to measure activity in the services sector–dropped to 42.0 in March from 50.2 in February, Caixin Media Co. and research company IHS Markit said (WSJ). A reading below 50 indicates activity is contracting rather than expanding. The current outbreak in China and resulting lockdowns and business closures will make it difficult for Beijing to meet its growth goals for the year. Bonus Read: “Snoring Colleagues, Brushing Teeth With the Boss: Inside Shanghai’s Big Office Sleepover,” (WSJ).

U.S. Government & Politics

Biden Extends Student Loan Repayment Pause

On Wednesday, President Biden extended the pause on student loan repayments until August 31 (WSJ, WaPo, Politico). The Wall Street Journal writes, “Payments and interest accrual have been suspended for borrowers with federal student loans since March 13, 2020, at the start of the pandemic. The pause was scheduled to expire on May 1.” Biden commented, “We are still recovering from the pandemic and the unprecedented economic disruption it caused.” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the department would use the time to work out a new system to “give borrowers a fresh start and to ensure that all borrowers have access to repayment plans that meet their financial situations and needs.” Biden likewise stated that the  “additional time will assist borrowers in achieving greater financial security and support the Department of Education’s efforts to continue improving student loan programs.”

The move was greeted with approval by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), chairwoman of the Senate Health and Education Committee, who stated, “I’m glad to see they intend to act to give struggling borrowers a fresh start.’ She, however, added a call for further action, continuing, “But the Administration must also forgive some debt for all borrowers and fix our student loan system once and for all.” Meanwhile, former Education Secretary under Trump Betsy DeVos tweeted, “The @WhiteHouse should just be honest about what they’re doing and announce they’ll turn the loan portfolio on after Election Day,” accusing the administration of playing politics. In defending his decision, Biden pointed to Federal Reserve data, saying, “If loan payments were to resume on schedule in May, analysis of recent data from the Federal Reserve suggests that millions of student loan borrowers would face significant economic hardship, and delinquencies and defaults could threaten Americans’ financial stability.” We covered the lead up to the decision in multiple briefs.

Attorney General, Commerce Secretary Test Positive for Covid as Virus Circulates in DC Elite

On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that he had tested positive for Covid (NYT). The New York Times writes, “The Justice Department said in a statement that Mr. Garland, 69, asked to be tested after learning that he may have been exposed. Mr. Garland, who is vaccinated and boosted, was not experiencing symptoms and planned to work from home for at least five days, the department said. He will not return to the office before he tests negative at the end of that period.” An anonymous White House official said that President Biden was not a close contact of the Attorney General’s. 

Earlier on Wednesday Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced that she had tested positive for Covid (Politico). Politico writes that Raimondo is “one of the latest D.C. figures to contract the virus in what is taking on signs of a new wave pummeling the capital city. Scores of reporters and elected officials have revealed — privately and publicly — in recent days that they have Covid. It’s touched Congress, the White House and major newsrooms. It’s impacted going-away parties and insider gatherings. It’s cast a shadow over the functions of President Joe Biden as well, though the White House says he remains virus-free and has not yet had what is deemed to be a close contact.” Other recent figures who have tested positive include Democratic representatives Adam Schiff and Joaquin Castro. Both of them had attended a dinner at which Raimondo was a featured speaker days before she announced her test result. 

May Governors’ Primaries Will Reveal Whether It’s Still Trump’s GOP 

Politico reports that a number of Republican governors’ primary races in May will help reveal the extent to which Trump remains the dominant figure in Republican party politics (Politico). Politico writes, “A series of Republican gubernatorial primaries in more than half a dozen states, all scheduled for May, has turned into mini-referendums on the former president. He’s directly backing candidates challenging two sitting GOP governors and a flock of other Republicans are running in his image — even without his blessing.” In Idaho, one of the two races where Trump has made an endorsement against a sitting GOP governor, pandemic politics are also at play. Idaho’s current Republican Governor Brad Little is being primaried by his Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, who received Trump’s endorsement. Politico writes, “Little and McGeachin have had particularly public, and at times farcical, battles over Covid policy in the state. On more than one occasion, McGachin would use her power as acting governor while Little was out of the state to issue an executive order related to the pandemic — like trying to ban various mandates — which Little would angrily rescind shortly after.” We covered that dispute in prior briefs. Politico also notes that McGeachin was an “early supporter” of Trump’s ties to the far-right, noting that she made “a virtual appearance at the America First Political Action Conference in February, which was hosted by a white nationalist.” Bonus Read: “DeSantis deploys coveted endorsement to boost his political influence,” (Politico).

Immigration Policy Dispute Threatens to Stall Covid Funding Bill; Democrats Express Concern Over Biden’s Title 42 Messaging

As Congress seeks to pass a new Covid funding bill before retiring for a recess at the end of the week, disputes over the Biden administration’s decision to cease using Title 42 authority at the border threatened to disrupt the tentative agreement reached early this week (WaPo, NYT). The Washington Post writes, “Democrats are pressing to approve the new funding by the end of the week, when the House and Senate are set to begin a two-week recess. But for the bill to clear the Senate that quickly, all 100 senators would have to agree to proceed, and multiple Republicans said Tuesday that they would seek a vote on the border restrictions as a condition.” Senator John Thune (R-SD) and the minority whip described the Republican opposition to the Title 42 decision as “pretty strong.” On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told reporters, “We’ll have to have a discussion about a reasonable amendment process,” framing the border amendment as a necessary part. A procedural vote that would have advanced the funding bill failed 52-47 on Tuesday largely over the issue of amendments. 

Politico reports that despite knowing the policy change was coming, many Democrats are also voicing worries about the way the Biden administration messaged its decision to cease using its Title 42 public health related authority to deport migrants (Politico). Politico writes, “The problem wasn’t that they were blindsided by the announcement. Rather, the party has been unable to settle on a unified message on immigration and border policy — a disconnect the party cannot afford with their slim Senate majority hanging in the balance.” The concern is fueled by Republican ads emphasizing border issues. Politico notes, “In March alone, GOP candidates in races up and down the ballot ran more than 80 television ads — everywhere from Alabama to Nebraska to Ohio — that mention securing the U.S. southern border, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking service.” Sawyer Hackett, executive director of former Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro’s PAC People First Future, stated, “The people at the head of the Democratic Party… don’t have a desire to speak about immigration and when they do, don’t know how to speak about it effectively and simply don’t have an effective rebuff to what Republicans are attacking us on,” and called Democratic messaging on the issue “terrible.” Politico also notes that vulnerable Democrats have voiced opposition to the policy change, writing, “The four most vulnerable Senate Democrats — Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire — have all spoken out against the Biden administration’s move, echoing GOP concerns about a coming spike in the number of migrants arriving at the border.”

Bonus Read: “Congress could finally pass a Covid bill. They’ll soon have to do it all again,” (Politico).

U.S. Economy

Federal Reserve Governor Brainard Says Fed Committed on Inflation; Fed Minutes Show Interest in Possible Half Point Interest Rate Increase

On Tuesday, Lael Brainard, a Federal Reserve governor, emphasized that the Fed is committed to responding to the issue of inflation (WSJ). Brainard told a virtual Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis that “It is of paramount importance to get inflation down.” She added, “Accordingly, the committee will continue tightening monetary policy methodically through a series of interest-rate increases and by starting to reduce the balance sheet at a rapid pace as soon as our May meeting.” The Journal notes, “Ms. Brainard’s remarks were notable not only because she is one of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s top lieutenants in shaping the central bank’s monetary-policy agenda but also because she had been one of the most vocal advocates last year warning against prematurely pulling back its stimulus.”

The Wall Street Journal also reports that minutes from last month’s Fed meeting show support for a possible half point increase in interest rates (WSJ). The minutes read in part, “Many participants noted that one or more [half-percentage-point] increases in the target range could be appropriate at future meetings, particularly if inflation pressures remained elevated or intensified.” The Journal writes, “The minutes revealed for the first time how officials expect to shrink their asset holdings much more rapidly than they did last decade, which would serve as another key tool for tightening monetary policy. Expectations of a much more aggressive Fed tightening process has already led to a sharp selloff this year in bonds.”

Bonus Read: “Instacart Won the Pandemic but Rivals Are Catching Up,” (WSJ).

U.S. Society

Covid-19 Hits Broadway

In Monday’s brief we covered how actor Daniel Craig’s positive Covid test led to a pause in showings of Macbeth on Broadway. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that other Broadway shows are also facing challenges as key actors test positive (WSJ). The Journal writes, “Matthew Broderick, who is starring in a limited-run revival of Neil Simon’s 'Plaza Suite' with his wife, Sarah Jessica Parker, has also tested positive for the virus. The actor didn’t perform in Tuesday’s show. Ms. Parker tested negative, the show said, and performed alongside Mr. Broderick’s standby, Tony award-winning actor Michael McGrath. It isn’t clear how long Mr. Broderick will be out for.” A preview show of “A Strange Loop” was canceled with the show announcing on Tuesday via Twitter that the showing was “being cancelled due to the detection of a limited number of positive covid test results within the company and to give the production more time to rehearse the understudies.” 

Analysis & Arguments

The Washington Post discusses the restaurant industry’s pandemic response with Damola Adamolekun, CEO of P.F. Chang’s (WaPo).

Michal Leibowitz writes on the issues surrounding getting used to staying home during the pandemic (NYT).

Ross Douthat writes on how conservatives failed the unvaccinated (NYT).

 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.

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