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May 4, 2022 - Brief Issue 324
The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University.
The Coronavirus Daily Brief will be on hiatus from May 6 through May 23.
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Top Headlines
Coronavirus is Getting Closer to the Flu (Health & Science)
New Zealand Reopens to Visitors (Around the World)
U.N. Chief Calls for Debt Relief for African Countries (Around the World)
Oktoberfest is Back After Two Year Pause (Around the World)
Vice President Harris Tests Negative, Will Return to Work (U.S. Government & Politics)
Job Openings and Number of People Quitting Hit New Records in March (U.S. Economy)
Consumer Spending Rose in March (U.S. Economy)
Chip Shortage Exacerbated by Lack of Chips to Manufacture Chips (U.S. Economy)
End of Mask Mandate Brings Anxiety for America’s Immunocompromised Travelers (U.S. Society)
Health & Science
There have been 81,506,838 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 994,748 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has administered 576,940,211 vaccine doses, with 77.7% of all Americans having received at least one vaccine dose and 66.2% fully vaccinated. Among adults aged 18 or older 89.1% have received at least one dose, and 76.1% are fully vaccinated (U.S. CDC). 45.9% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a first booster shot. Worldwide, there have been 514,951,802 cases of coronavirus, with 6,241,196 deaths.
Coronavirus is Getting Closer to the Flu
While SARS-CoV-2 is still a long way from becoming an ordinary virus like those that cause seasonal colds, there are signs that the virus is subtly shifting to something similar to the seasonal flu. It seems that the virus has not yet found “seasonal cadence” but the transmission pattern of the virus is beginning to mirror other viruses. At the beginning of the pandemic, the transmission of the virus was patchy and what scientists call “overdispersion,” meaning that a few infectious people in poorly ventilated indoor spaces were causing superspreader events. But now, new variants are spreading much more easily in schools, nursing homes, and households, suggesting that superspreader events are no longer the primary drivers of infection. “Epidemiologically the Omicron variant is quite different from previous strains,” Hitoshi Oshitani, a virologist and infectious disease specialist at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine wrote (STAT). “The level of overdispersion is also probably different. But we need more data to adjust our public health responses.”
Another reason the virus is changing its behavior is the change of the host network. Based on everything we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, the underlying population susceptibility seems to be the primary driver of spread,” said Emily Gurley, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University. “I think that’s more important than changes in the virus itself. Prior infection, vaccination, or some combination have all caused sturdier immune systems capable of fighting off severe illness—similar to when the pandemic flu transitioned to seasonal flu.
Around the World
New Zealand Reopens to Visitors
On Monday, New Zealand reopened its borders to visitors from more than 60 nations for the first time in two years (NYT). “In the early hours of this morning, we marked another big moment in our reconnection with the world with our borders reopening to visitors from visa-waiver countries,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a news briefing on Monday. More than 20 flights from abroad had already landed in Auckland by 6 a.m. The list of countries whose citizens are allowed to enter the country without a visa include most European countries, the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Visitors from China, India, and other nations that do not have visa-waiver agreements are still generally prohibited.
U.N. Chief Calls for Debt Relief for African Countries
On Sunday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged debt relief for African countries to assist in pandemic recovery efforts. Guterres said that the coronavirus pandemic pushed many poor countries into debt distress and now the Ukraine war has further disrupted their economic recovery (Reuters). "International financial institutions must urgently put in place debt relief measures by increasing liquidity and fiscal space, so that governments can avoid default and invest in social safety nets and sustainable development," Guterres said. He called on wealthy countries and pharmaceutical companies to continue accelerating donations of Covid-19 vaccines and develop local vaccine production capabilities as almost 80% of the population of the African continent remain unvaccinated.
Oktoberfest is Back After Two Year Pause
Munich announced that the annual Oktoberfest celebration will take place again this year after a two year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dieter Reiter, the mayor of Munich, said the festival will take place without restrictions from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3 (AP). The celebration has been held since 1810 but has been canceled before due to war and pandemics.
Bonus Read: “I’m Overseas and I’ve Tested Positive. What Now?” (NYT).
U.S. Government & Politics
Vice President Harris Tests Negative, Will Return to Work
On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for Covid on an antigen test after having previously tested positive last Tuesday (NYT). With the negative test, Harris returned to her standard work schedule on Tuesday, although her press secretary noted that she would wear “a well-fitting mask while around others through the 10-day period.”
U.S. Economy
Bonus Read: “Get Ready for Another Energy Price Spike: High Electric Bills,” (NYT).
Job Openings and Number of People Quitting Hit New Records in March
On Tuesday, the Department of Labor released data showing that the number of job openings and people quitting reached new record highs in March (WSJ, WaPo, NYT). The Wall Street Journal writes, “The Labor Department on Tuesday reported a seasonally adjusted 11.5 million job openings in March, an increase from 11.3 million the prior month. The number of times workers quit their jobs rose to 4.5 million in the same month, slightly higher than the previous record in November of last year. Meanwhile, hiring cooled slightly from the month before to 6.7 million in March.” The prior record for openings was hit in December 2021. The New York Times writes, “After a sharp climb last year, the number of job openings plateaued somewhat — though the March reading suggests that the declining amount of coronavirus concerns among some experts and the average consumer — paired with the rolling back of public health restrictions and the start of the summer hiring season — are increasing businesses’ appetites for more workers.” The Times also notes, “The strong demand for workers could be a signal that economic activity may plow through the challenges presented by inflation, which is at a 40-year high, and the discombobulation of global supply chains exacerbated by coronavirus outbreaks in Asia and war in Eastern Europe.”
Consumer Spending Rose in March
On Friday, the Department of Commerce released data showing that consumer spending increased in March (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal writes, “Personal-consumption expenditures increased a seasonally adjusted 1.1% in March from the prior month, the Commerce Department said Friday. Adjusting for inflation, consumer spending rose 0.2% last month, driven by higher services spending. Household spending also rose at a faster rate than inflation from a year earlier.” Spending on services increased while spending on durable goods fell for the second month in a row. Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told the Journal, “The consumer’s fine, they’ve got loads of money,” citing increased savings during the pandemic.
Chip Shortage Exacerbated by Lack of Chips to Manufacture Chips
Pandemic related disruptions have challenged the manufacture and delivery of microchips key for many industries, notably including the auto industry. However, the latest challenge is that chip manufacturers are now struggling to obtain the chips they need to manufacture chips (WSJ). The Wall Street Journal reports, citing industry executives, that there is a “new pain point: a lack of chips needed for the machines that make chips.” The Journal writes, “The wait time it takes to get machinery for chip-making—one of the world’s most complex and delicate kinds of manufacturing—has extended over recent months. Early in the pandemic it took months from placing an order to receiving the equipment. That time frame has stretched to two or three years in some cases, according to chip-making and equipment executives. Deliveries of previously placed orders are also coming in late, executives say.” It adds “What began as a pandemic-era aberration of supercharged demand for laptops and other chip-hungry gadgets has spiraled into a structural problem for the industry. Now many chip executives say the problem will persist into 2023 and 2024, or even longer.”
Bonus Read: “Pfizer Sales Soar on Covid-19 Vaccine Sales,” (WSJ).
U.S. Society
End of Mask Mandate Brings Anxiety for America’s Immunocompromised Travelers
The Washington Post reports on the anxiety many immunocompromised travelers are facing in the wake of a court’s ruling ending the mask mandate on public transit and airlines (WaPo). Kayla Phaneuf, a 24-year-old who travels routinely, told the Post, “I almost had an anxiety attack because I was so hyper aware of people coughing who were not wearing masks or people sneezing and not covering their faces with their elbows.” The Post writes, “She’s immunocompromised after contracting the coronavirus in January 2021, which has persisted as long covid. It took her over a month to recover from the initial virus, and the effects have since made migraines, brain fog, fatigue, chest and joint pain, and muscle aches a regular part of her life.” Her last bout with Covid forced her to stop working for eight months. Phaneuf is far from alone. The Post notes, “About 7 million Americans are considered immunocompromised, making them especially vulnerable to severe infection, even if they are vaccinated. When the transportation mask mandate dropped, it added another layer of anxiety and frustration for high-risk travelers.” For some the court’s decision has led them to stop flying. Among them is Mitra Ghobadi, previously a monthly flier, who the Post writes, “had a recurrence of breast cancer in January, and chemotherapy treatments have made her immunocompromised.” She told the Post, ““I was already double-masking and was extremely careful,” adding, “But what this means for me is that I would rather take international flights than domestic flights.”
Bonus Read: “Elderly Covid Patient Was Out in a Body Bag, Loaded for Cremation. She Was Alive,” (WSJ).
Analysis & Arguments
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