Coronavirus: The Hill and the Headlines, May 12 2021

In Washington:

• A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for youth who are 12 to 15 years old.  The recommendation came hours after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to adopt the recommendation 14-0 with one abstention.

• The Biden administration has reached agreements with ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft to offer free rides to coronavirus vaccination sites through July 4, the White House announced Tuesday. The federal government is not paying Lyft and Uber for the rides.

• On Wednesday, the Labor Department released data showing consumer prices rose at the fastest rate in more than a decade. The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.8 percent in April and 4.2 percent over the past year. Recovering economic sectors that were hit hard by the coronavirus recession drove most of the increases. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and other bank officials have argued that any inflation is likely sustainable. GOP lawmakers and inflation hawks question the Fed’s insistence on keeping interest rates near zero percent through 2021.

• Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) on Wednesday questioned the General Services Administration (GSA) over its approval of video conferencing app Zoom for government use, despite security vulnerabilities. In a letter to acting GSA Administrator Katy Kale, Wyden requested that the agency provide a copy of its “security package” detailing the approval decision. Zoom saw a huge spike in users during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai faced contentious questioning by Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee over President Biden’s decision to back vaccine intellectual property waivers for COVID-19 vaccines. Nearly every Republican on the panel opposed the move during a hearing on the administration’s trade agenda. They argued that approving the waiver would give away valuable U.S. innovations to foreign competitors while potentially complicating the production of vaccines by countries suddenly competing for key ingredients.

• The White House warned state governors on Tuesday that states would not receive any doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week, as the company continues to grapple with production problems.

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a draft interim rule that will require long-term care facilities to offer COVID-19 vaccines to residents and staff, aiming to further fortify facilities hit especially hard by the coronavirus.  The rule will be published Thursday, May 13.  

• House Republicans are calling on Health and Human Services (HHS)  inspector general to investigate whether the American Federation of Teachers influenced the CDC’s latest guidance on reopening schools.  The letter to the IG was led by Rep. Bob Good and signed by  25 House Republicans.

In the News:

• On Tuesday the U.S. recorded over 33,000 new cases of COVID-19 and 684 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 46 percent of Americans have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, while 34.8 percent are fully vaccinated, according to Bloomberg's vaccine tracker.

• Black Floridians account for only 7 percent of the roughly 9 million vaccinated for COVID-19  in the state.  Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration officials and advocates are pledging to do more to boost vaccination rates in Black communities.

• BioNTech said Monday there is currently "no evidence" suggesting the company must adapt its COVID-19 vaccine, developed with Pfizer, to be more effective against variants. Some health experts fear new variants could be resistant to COVID-19 vaccines. BioNTech and Pfizer plan to study the need for a third vaccine dose to prolong immunity against coronavirus. 

• New Jersey State officials on Wednesday said teenagers in the state will be “immediately eligible” for the Pfizer vaccine, but those between the ages of 12 and 15 will need approval from their parents or guardians.

• Investing in rare sneakers has spiked during the pandemic. Lockdowns brought more people with more idle time into an already-lucrative sneaker trading market. Sneaker apps gamified and streamlined buying, while social media added community. The sneaker resale market is now worth an estimated $10 billion, research firm Piper Sandler reports.

Authored by Ivan Zapien