Coronavirus: The Hill and the Headlines, May 26, 2021

In Washington:

• President Biden on Wednesday asked U.S. intelligence to “redouble their efforts” to determine the origins of the coronavirus and submit a report within 90 days on whether the virus emerged from an accidental lab leak.  In a statement, he said the intelligence community had “coalesced around two likely scenarios” — that the coronavirus either came from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident in Wuhan, China, but not definitively answered the question.

• The FDA has authorized emergency use of a monoclonal antibody developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology.  Late-stage clinical trial data showed the treatment dramatically reduced the chances of hospitalization and death in certain COVID-19 patients. The drug is not authorized for patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19 or require oxygen therapy.

• The Treasury Department says states can use federal money to offer cash incentives aiming to boost coronavirus vaccination rates. The update comes in guidance updated May 25 detailing how state and local governments can spend billions of dollars in aid included in the March coronavirus relief law. 

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky urged caution over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday among Americans not fully vaccinated. “If you are not vaccinated, our guidance has not changed for you,” Walensky said at a White House press briefing Tuesday. “You remain at risk of infection, you still need to mask and take other precautions.” Last year, before vaccines were available, U.S. COVID cases rose following the holiday weekend.

• Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), testified Wednesday that Americans will need coronavirus vaccine booster shots and that “[w]hat we’re figuring out right now is what that interval is going to be[.]”  Fauci, appearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, made clear that the shot’s protection will wane. The CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna said last week that those who were among the first in the U.S. to receive a coronavirus vaccine could need a booster shot by September.

• On May 25, the  Senate rejected a Republican amendment introduced to the “United States Innovation and Competition Act” (S. 1260) that would have limited the Biden administration's ability to negotiate a World Trade Organization agreement to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines.  The amendment offered by Senate Finance Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) received a 53-46 majority vote but fell short of the 60 needed for approval.

In the News: 

• On May 25, the U.S. recorded over about 23,000 new COVID-19 cases and 621 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University data. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 50 percent of all Americans have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, and 40 percent are fully vaccinated. The figures are 59 and 47 percent, respectively, for Americans over 12 years old.

• A New York Times analysis of health data from India's COVID-19 crisis indicates that the country's death toll is likely much higher than has been reported. The analysis, published Wednesday, found that as many as 600,000 Indians have actually died from COVID-19, based on conservative estimates. The country has reported over 300,000 deaths. The paper found 1.6 million deaths is the likeliest number, which would be the world’s highest national total.

• Top Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun has called for the cancellation of the summer Olympics. The paper’s morning edition reaches over 5 million people. Olympic and Japanese officials have insisted the Games will go on regardless of Japan’s pandemic situation. Meanwhile, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Wednesday asked the central government to extend Japan’s state of emergency, set to expire May 31, citing the persistent, high infection rates.

• An Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds that most respondents in every racial group surveyed said they believe that anti-Asian discrimination was on the rise. In the poll released Wednesday, 71 percent of Asian Americans said incidents of discrimination were on the rise.