Coronavirus: The Hill and the Headlines, April 21 2021

In Washington:

• President Biden said Wednesday that he expects the U.S. will share surplus coronavirus vaccine doses with Canada and Central American countries. “We don’t have enough to be confident to send it abroad now, but I expect we are going to be able to do that,” Biden said, without offering a timeframe for the move. The U.S. in March agreed to send to Mexico and Canada four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not approved in the U.S. 

• While touting a milestone of surpassing 200 million coronavirus vaccine doses administered on his 92nd day in office, President Biden on Wednesday urged employers to give workers paid leave to get the COVID-19 vaccination. He announced that the IRS will soon post instructions on how employers with fewer than 500 employees can be reimbursed for the cost of providing such paid leave. Reports do not indicate whether legislation will also accompany Biden’s call.

• Federal health agencies say it could take two weeks or longer to gather and analyze enough data to conclude whether there is a link between Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine and reports of rare but severe blood clots in recipients.   The data may not be available before the CDC  advisory committee meeting on Friday.

• An Axios-Ipsos poll released Tuesday found that 91 percent of respondents had heard of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine distribution pause, and among that group, 88 percent said the FDA and CDC were “being responsible” by recommending it. The figure for Democrats was 91 percent and for Republicans, 87 percent. Twenty percent say they won’t get the J&J vaccine, a figure similar to Axios’s January survey on that question.

• The Education Department announced new guidance on “maintenance of effort” (MOE) spending requirements states must follow if they received federal pandemic relief funds for K-12 schools and colleges. The guidance outlines the main similarities and differences between the MOE requirements in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA Act), and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP Act) The Department will also soon release separate guidance on the new State and local educational agency (LEA) maintenance of equity requirements in section 2004(b) and (c) of the ARP Act.

In the News:

• The chief medical officer of BioNTech said Wednesday that people will likely need a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech two-dose coronavirus vaccine as immunity wanes. Dr. Ozlem Tureci’s comments echo recent remarks from Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. Tureci told CNBC that researchers “see indications” for waning immunity in both people who survive COVID-19 as well as vaccinated individuals. Scientists don’t know how long protection lasts past six months. On Friday, Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to President Biden’s coronavirus response team, said the administration is preparing for the need to secure and distribute COVID-19 booster shots. 

• Europe's drug regulator said Tuesday that it's recommending a warning be added to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine about a possible link to blood clots, but noted they are "very rare" and the benefits still outweigh the risks. In response, the company said it will resume its vaccine rollout in Europe. Eight cases of blood clots out of about 7 million people who received the single-dose vaccine have been identified in the U.S.

• United Airlines on Monday said it is hoping to boost demand by adding flights to countries that are loosening COVID-19 restrictions for vaccinated travelers. The airline is adding countries like Iceland, Croatia, and Greece that have scaled back their COVID-19 travel restrictions or are expected to do so in the coming weeks. 

• There are growing reports that the demand for vaccines is slowing down as thousands of appointments go unfilled across rural areas of the country.  Regions such as Dallas, which have the capability to do 12,000 vaccinations a day, but on some days, they’re doing as few as 4,000.

• Multiple colleges and universities are announcing that they are requiring students to have been vaccinated to attend classes this fall. The schools are allowing for some medical and religious exemptions from the requirement. 

• CVS and Walgreens drugstores are offering over-the-counter,  at-home, Covid-19 tests made by Abbott and Ellume at several of its retail pharmacies and online.  The store plans to roll the tests out to most locations in May.

Authored by Ivan Zapien