INFORMS Open Forum

Good morning,

Please find yesterday's COVID-19 update for January 11th below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Thank you,

Jeff Cohen

INFORMS Members In The News

• COVID-19 vaccine supply chain can be fixed (The Hill)

Member: Sheldon Jacobson

• Last mile limits U.S. vaccine rollout: media (ECNS)

Member: Julie Swann

• Vaccine roll-out a long haul for Alamance County (The Times News)

Member: Julie Swann

• COVID-19 vaccines, new infections are pushing SC toward herd immunity by fall, experts say (The Post and Courier)

Member: Pinar Keskinocak

• Why holding second doses of COVID-19 vaccines in reserve is the wrong strategy (USA Today)

Member: Tinglong Dai

 

Federal Policy Update                       

• The Trump administration is reportedly planning to adjust their vaccine effort to prioritize older adults and people with higher-risk medical conditions, by allocating doses based on the size of each state's respective population of these groups. They are also releasing all the second doses of the vaccines that had previously been held back.
• The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention announced that the agency would now require negative COVID-19 tests for all international passengers flying into the U.S.
• Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Moncef Slaoui announced that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine will likely be authorized towards the end of March.
• President-elect Joe Biden's transition team is reportedly discussing using the National Guard and U.S. military to assist in the distribution of coronavirus vaccine.
• National Institutes of Allergy & Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci stated that he believes "rigid" rules on the order of priority for Americans to receive COVID-19 has resulted in a delay for the vaccine rollout. Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar echoed the statement, saying that the current vaccine administration protocol has been "too narrowly focused."

• Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) have both tested positive for COVID-19.

  

State Update                                                                     

• The state of New York is set to convert the New York Mets stadium into a mass vaccination site. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) also stated that the state is opening up vaccinations for residents over the age of 65, as well as for those that are immunocompromised.
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) emphasized that the state remains focused on vaccinating the senior population.

• Washington, DC Governor Muriel Bowser (D) announced that the city's restrictions on indoor dining and museum visitation will be extended through January 22^nd.

 

 Global Response 

• World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan warned that herd immunity would not be possible in 2021 and that until it is achieved, social distancing and mask mandates should stay in place.
• The New Zealand government announced that they would require COVID-19 test results for all travelers coming in the country, except for those from Australia and Antarctica.
• Lebanon will implement a 24-hour curfew this Thursday, intensifying the pre-existing lockdown to include shutting down food stores, which will only be allowed to open for delivery.
• The Jordanian government received its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses yesterday.
• Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is extending the national lockdown in the Netherlands by 3 weeks – until at least February 9^th.
• The Swiss government has authorized the Moderna vaccine.
• The United Arab Emirates announced that the country has administered over one million doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
• The Iranian government announced that they're planning to import nearly two million doses of coronavirus vaccines from India, Russia, and China.
• Officials in Ontario, Canada have issued a stay-at-home order for the province for all non-essential workers and healthcare workers.
• Another coronavirus variant has been detected in four people who traveled from Brazil to Japan.

 

Economic Update

• U.S. stocks were on the rise today, with all three indices closing with gains. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 0.28%, the S&P 500 by 0.04%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.19%.

  

Latest Impact Data

• In the United States: Over 23,299,363 cases and 388,360 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
• Worldwide: Over 91,872,395 cases and 1,966,355 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.

 

In the News               

• Trump to prioritize older adults for COVID vaccines, release all doses (Politico)
• Vaccine Doses That Were Held Back Now Being Released (The Wall Street Journal)
• U.S. to require negative COVID-19 tests for arriving international air passengers (Reuters)
• Growing number of lawmakers test positive for COVID-19 after Capitol siege (The Hill) 

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Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org
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