FS-ISAC Coronavirus Update 2, Jan. 25, 2021

BREAKING – US records first case of Brazilian variant

Minnesota officials announced this afternoon they had confirmed the first US case of the highly transmissible variant that has been spreading in Brazil in recent weeks.

• The variant, called P.1, is one of four being closely watched by officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but until Monday it had only been reported in Brazil and among a group of four travelers from Brazil to Japan.
• The patient, who lives in the Twin Cities metro area, had traveled to Brazil before becoming ill during the first week of January.
• The specimen was collected January 9 and found among the 50 random samples analyzed every week as part of the state's variant surveillance program.
• The health department said that "With the new lab information showing the case to be the Brazil P.1 variant, MDH epidemiologists are re-interviewing the person to obtain more details about the illness, travel and contacts."
• The Brazil variant is a distinct variation from those seen in Britain and South Africa and thought to be more transmissible than the coronavirus strain that was prevalent at the beginning of the pandemic.
• Officials warned that "while this variant is thought to be more transmissible than the initial 9 strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, it is not yet known whether the variant causes more severe illness."

Headlines

• The number of new US coronavirus cases reported over the past seven days is 22% lower than a week ago and the seven-day average has been trending down for 10 days, according to an analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University, with deaths also lower than a week ago - by about 7% - but January is on track to be country’s Covid-19’s deadliest month.
• An Associated Press analysis of federal hospital data shows that since November, the share of US hospitals nearing the breaking point has doubled, and that more than 40% of Americans now live in areas running out of ICU space, and only 15% of beds are still available.
• More than 22.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the US, according to data published Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with nearly 6% of the US population - more than 19 million people – having received at least one dose, and about 3.3 million people fully vaccinated.
• Fewer than 0.01% of people who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine have contracted the virus more than a week after receiving the second dose, HMO Maccabi, a leading Israeli healthcare provider, said on Monday.
• President Joe Biden said today he expects anyone who wants a vaccine to be able to get one by the spring and upped his vaccination goal for his first 100 days in office to 1.5 million shots a day, but Dr. David Kessler, co-chair of the White House’s COVID-19 task force, pushed back the timeline in which most Americans can expect to get vaccinated, predicting "We're not going to have everyone vaccinated in April, in May, right?  Just not gonna happen," adding "We got to get over 65, essential workers.   I think this is going to take us into the fall.  We got to get there before next winter, and one of the things I care about very honestly, is we can't do this again.”
• Scaling up manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccines can’t be done overnight without sacrificing quality, officials from vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna said Monday.
• A study of NFL players found that coronavirus transmission is still possible even if exposure didn’t surpass 15 total minutes within six feet, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, findings that put into question the agency’s previous guidance on community exposure, which it defines as having close contact with an individual who is confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Monday that wearing two masks is likely more effective to stop the spread of Covid-19.
• California added 27,007 cases to its Covid-19 count on Monday, according to the state Department of Public Health, marking the first full week of fewer than 30,000 cases each day since early December, and the state’s number of deaths reported was well below the 14-day average.
• New York is at the end of its “post-holiday spike” and could begin rolling back restrictions on some businesses as early as this week if the trends continue, Governor Andrew Cuomo said this afternoon.
• President Joe Biden will require all international travelers coming from overseas, including US citizens, to “provide proof of a negative test within three days of travel to airlines prior to departure.”
• The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, recommended on Monday restricting nonessential travel in a bid to curb the spread of new more contagious variants of the coronavirus, and at the same time, the commission’s proposal aims to prevent blanket border closures, which would obstruct trade and the movement of cross-border workers.
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday the idea of quarantining people arriving into the country in hotels for 10 days as a Covid-19 measure is “definitely” being “looked at,” and said people “mustn’t assume” that schools will be closed until Easter, following recent media reports, warning decisions are dependent on Covid-19 infection rates.
• France's National Academy of Medicine is advising that people keep quiet and don’t talk on public transportation - and whenever social distancing is not possible - to help stop the spread of COVID-19, with a recent study by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London finding that when people are in a poorly ventilated space, a prolonged conversation is far more likely to spread respiratory droplets carrying the virus than a short cough.
• The S&P 500 rose slightly on Monday as investors prepared for a busy week of earnings featuring reports from the largest tech companies, gaining 0.1%, supported by utilities and real estate, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq traded 0.4% higher after jumping to an all-time high earlier in the day, and the Dow Jones, less susceptible to changes in technology shares, shed more than 80 points.
• He’s been in office for less than a week, but President Joe Biden is already facing calls to use his new power to prevent people from losing their electricity, gas or water, with some of his allies in Congress wanting the federal government to stop power companies, water providers and other utilities from shutting off service for failure to pay bills to help Americans struggling during the pandemic.
• Millions of Americans are still in stimulus check limbo after a confusing first effort to distribute the $600 direct payments, with individuals who received a “Payment status not available message” from the IRS or who are unsure of their check status recommended to review their eligibility with the agency and file their taxes as soon as possible.
• At least 225 million full-time jobs disappeared worldwide last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report published Monday by the International Labor Organization, losses four times worse than those of the global financial crisis in 2009.
• The World Health Organization cited new economic research during a press conference Monday, which warns that vaccine nationalism could cost high-income countries $4.5 trillion, and while universal vaccination may make it feel as though life is getting back to normal in wealthy countries, global trade will suffer if poorer nations still have active COVID-19 transmissions, according to research from the International Chamber of Commerce.
• Beginning Wednesday, the White House will hold regular briefings “for the foreseeable future” to update the public on the federal response to the coronavirus, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.

Vaccines – US

1. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine could have a major effect on the rollout of vaccines because it only requires a single shot and the company plans to make so many doses, Dr. Dan Barouch, a Harvard Medical School researcher who helped develop the candidate, said Monday.
2. White House press secretary Jen Psaki would not provide details on the current US coronavirus vaccine supply Monday when asked whether there was a ballpark amount for the supply, blaming problems inherited from the previous administration for the lack of information about current levels.
3. Nationwide, about 55% of the 41.4 million distributed doses have now been administered, as reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Monday.
4. Alaska now has about 11% of the state’s population that has received at least one dose of vaccine – the most in the US, followed by West Virginia where more than 9% of the population has received at least one shot.
5. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday it would be taking a much bigger role in vaccine rollout going forward, with an inter-agency task force established to coordinate the federal response that will develop “data dashboards to track personnel movement and vaccine distribution."
6. The Department of Defense is weighing options to assist President Biden's plan announced today to vaccinate as many as 1.5 million people per day within months, with discussions taking place about deploying thousands of US troops to help with the efforts, according to four officials familiar with the talks who said a plan could be unveiled by the end of the week.
7. California Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday that the nation’s most populous state was ramping up its lagging vaccination effort, tripling the number of doses given daily between the beginning of the month and January 15.
8. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said today that over 600,000 vaccines have been administered since the beginning of its effort, and though the city remains on track for second doses, stressed they “urgently” needs more supply and flexibility to vaccinate.
9. Harris County, Texas, the third-largest US county, is abandoning first-come, first-served online vaccine sign-ups effective Tuesday in favor of a new system that will evaluate recipients according to age, medical history and other factors.
10. A rural county in Washington state has not wasted a single vaccine dose and is lapping the field when it comes to distribution of the vaccine, with Kittitas County officials saying their experience in triaging and managing disasters, especially wildfires, is the secret to why it is outpacing the rates in the state.
11. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a Pfizer board member, defended the company’s move to ship fewer vials of its Covid-19 vaccine and count six doses per vial, instead of five, saying that it’s the best way to ensure the extra dose gets used.
12. Airbnb offered help Monday to the Biden administration identify homes that could be used as vaccine distribution centers in communities that are lacking in pharmacies or medical facilities.

US Outbreak

1. California’s deaths and case count each increased by only 0.9% from the prior day total, the 14-day average positivity rate continues to decline, falling to 9.4% - down more than 4% over the latest 14-day period, hospitalizations due to confirmed and suspected Covid-19 cases are down by 291 patients, and the availability of intensive care unit beds statewide are also showing signs of improvement with 1,168 available beds, up 52 from the prior day after plunging to all-time lows last week.
2. New York State is now reporting a positivity rate, or the percent of all tests that return positive, of 5.85% — down from a peak of 7.94% on January 4.
3. Close to a quarter of all first responders in New York City appear to have been infected during the first wave of the pandemic, researchers from a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-led team reported Monday, with 22.5% of the more than 22,000 police, fire, emergency medical technicians, corrections and other workers between May and June testing positive.
4. The District of Columbia’s National Guard is reporting that about 200 members have tested positive and being treated for the virus after thousands were mobilized to the US capital following the deadly riot and in response to potential unrest around the inauguration.
5. Deborah Birx, coronavirus response coordinator under the previous administration, alleged President Trump was receiving statistics - “parallel data” clashing with what she provided him - from someone else.

US Restrictions & Schools

1. Massachusetts lifted its stay-at-home order Monday, which had asked residents not to go out between the hours of 10PM and 5AM and required businesses to close at 9:30PM, but restaurants and other businesses will still be capped at 25% occupancy until at least February 8 and gatherings are still limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
2. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has formally requested legislative leaders to extend his emergency authorization through April 20.
3. California’s Department of Public Health announced that the state will lift its stay-at-home order in every region beginning Monday, paving the way for restaurants and gyms to reopen with modified outdoor services, as the state moves back to its county-by-county tiered reopening system.
4. Los Angeles County will allow restaurants to reopen for outdoor dining with safety modifications on Friday, county officials announced Monday.
5. President Biden was pressed Monday on school re-openings, in light of reports that the Chicago Teachers Union has voted to refuse in-person work, and outlined the steps that must be in place for safe reopening, saying “I believe we should make school classrooms safe and secure for the students, for the teachers, and for the help that’s in those schools maintaining the facilities,” citing ventilation systems and testing for both teachers and students.
6. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced a new education plan Monday called “Due North Education Plan” for schools in the state, that includes action to support students during and after the pandemic, reform school financing and expand opportunities for students, and build the most qualified and diverse teaching workforce in the nation.
7. Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday that it was a “prudent decision” for the new administration to reinstate US travel restrictions.

Business Related

1. President Joe Biden is directing the federal government to increase its purchases of US-made goods, seeking to remove loopholes from an existing Buy American policy and follow up on his promise to help the nation's beleaguered manufacturing industry.
2. Multiple centrist senators who met with White House officials about President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief plan are pushing the administration to scale back its proposal, calling instead for a smaller bill based around money to streamline vaccine distribution.
3. About 10 million people are behind on their rent payments this month as the pandemic continues to take an economic toll, and the typical delinquent renter is now nearly four months behind on their rent payment, owing about $5,600 including utilities and late fees, according to an analysis by Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, and Jim Parrott, a fellow at the Urban Institute.
4. Restaurants are weighing options to encourage their employees to get the vaccine, but they’re unlikely to force workers to receive the shots, and it’s unlikely that a franchised business will go further than merely suggesting that restaurant owners follow specific guidelines, due to ongoing litigation around employment rights.
5. Delta Air Lines is seeking to bring back 400 of its pilots as it tries to position itself for a rebound in travel demand, and on the back of a more than $12 billion net loss in 2020 - it’s largest ever – the company is now setting the groundwork needed to train hundreds of pilots.
6. Movie theater chain AMC Entertainment, which was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy last year by the pandemic, said Monday its doors will remain open in 2021 - thanks to a $917 million infusion of cash.
7. Target said it will spend $200 million in employee bonuses after it reported strong holiday season sales during the pandemic, with hourly workers getting $500 and employees in leadership roles receiving between $1,000 and 2,000.
8. Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Corp.’s North American cruise brand, which operates 24 ships, has canceled a slew of voyages scheduled for 2021 — as the industry continues to reel from the pandemic, and the company’s return to operations for Carnival Magic, Carnival Paradise and Carnival Valor will be delayed until November.
9. Godiva, the nearly 100-year-old luxury chocolatier, is closing or selling all of its brick-and-mortar stores in North America as part of its strategy to boost global online sales.
10. US toy sales surged 16% last year, amounting to a $25.1 billion increase, The NPD Group said Monday, with sports toys, fashion dolls and accessories and building sets like Lego the most popular categories, and the best-selling toy brands of the year including  L.O.L. Surprise!, Barbie, Star Wars, Pokemon and Marvel Universe.