Coronavirus: The Hill and the Headlines, April 23 2021

In Washington:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday lifted the recommended pause on the use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, saying the benefits of the shot outweigh the risk of a rare blood clot disorder. The move clears the way for states to resume administering the one-shot vaccine. 

• Johnson & Johnson reported Friday that the company has negotiated a warning label with the FDA for its COVID-19 vaccine to make health care providers aware of a potentially increased risk of blood clots and low platelet counts.

• The CDC advisory panel said two more people have died from the rare combination of blood clots and low platelet counts that may be linked to the Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. That brings the total number of people affected to be 15 vaccine recipients out of nearly 8 million given the shot.   All were women and most were under the age of 50.  Three died, and seven remain hospitalized.

• Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said for the first time on Friday that the agency recommends pregnant people get the COVID-19 vaccine. Walensky pointed to the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday that found the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines appear to be safe for pregnant women, according to preliminary vaccine data. The agency previously did not recommend pregnant people get the vaccine due to the “limited data” on the shot’s safety. 

• President Biden’s April 28 address to a joint session of Congress will feature limited in-person attendance as an anti-coronavirus precaution. Only about 200 people will be allowed in the chamber of the House of Representatives, the speech’s venue. No member of Congress will be allowed to bring guests, nor will there be a first lady's box. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office is deciding on guests and health precautions.

• The Small Business Administration is reopening the online portal to apply for the federal government's grant program for live entertainment venues. Live venues have struggled to survive COVID-19-prompted shutdowns. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal reopens Monday, April 26 at 12 noon. The program has $16.2 billion in grants from the Save our Stages Act, which was signed into law in December 2020, and the American Rescue Plan. 

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is calling for health care facilities to transition away from instructing staff to reuse N95 masks since the U.S. has amassed a stockpile since the shortages last year. The FDA issued a letter to health care personnel and facilities earlier this month recommending that workers stop cleaning and reusing N95 masks and other respirators to limit any contamination. The Trump administration recommended reusing the masks when personal protective equipment was scarce early in the pandemic. 

In the News:

• This spring has seen a surge in U.S. COVID-19 vaccinations but almost no change in the spread of the virus. In the last week of February, the U.S. average 65,686 new daily cases. Now the figure is 64,814. More contagious variants of COVID-19, particularly the variant first discovered in the U.K., have become the dominant strains within the U.S. Deaths have fallen significantly, to an average of about 700 per day.

• India faces a severe oxygen shortage amid a huge surge in coronavirus cases. India’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to produce a “national plan” to distribute oxygen within a week.  The death toll also hit a new high in India on Thursday, with more than 2,200 deaths from the virus in one day. 

• One kitten in the United Kingdom died after contracting the coronavirus from its owner, according to a study published in Veterinary Records. Researchers found two cats that were infected with the coronavirus by their owners. One of the cats, who was just four months old, developed breathing issues and needed to be put down, Forbes reported. While domestic animals can catch the virus, there is no evidence so far that they can spread it to humans.

• Canadian health officials warned Friday that the country’s daily COVID-19 case counts could nearly double by the end of April unless local governments tighten safety measures amid a third wave of the virus. Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said in a press briefing that daily infections could increase from 8,600 currently to 15,000 by the end of the month.

• Two independent studies show that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective in preventing serious illness and death from the New York variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

• Japan declared a third state of emergency Friday, which will last until May 11 to discourage holiday traveling. The Olympics committee reaffirmed its determination to hold the summer games despite the surge in cases.

Authored by Ivan Zapien