It's hard to remember a time when a handful of coronavirus-positive people on a great big boat was a big deal. But that was exactly the situation in March 2020, when then-President Donald Trump resisted letting Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess dock in San Francisco after 21 of about 3,500 people aboard tested positive for what was then a new and largely unknown virus. (The ship eventually docked in Oakland and all those aboard were quarantined; seven died.)
Unlike the airlines, which trimmed but never fully cut service, cruise lines were barred from sailing out of U.S. ports throughout the pandemic, so as not to create giant floating super-spreader events. Now, as mass vaccination continues and cases and deaths plummet, the cruise business is setting sail once again. But does anybody actually want to get on a cruise ship right now? The answer, Celebrity Cruises CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo told my colleague Eben Shaprio, is a resounding yes. "We’re seeing levels of bookings at 2019 levels, which is really, really encouraging," she told Eben.
Part of Lutoff-Perlo's job is to be a cheerleader for her company and industry. But what she's saying lines up with similar indicators: the number of daily air passengers is edging closer to the pre-pandemic baseline every day, and so much pent-up demand is being released across the economy that at least some experts are worried about inflation (prices are rising because people are buying so much stuff that supply can't keep up).
Celebrity is currently testing new health measures aboard its cruises (crew-members are vaccinated, for instance, and safety briefings are done via TVs in passengers' rooms rather than in person with big groups) and in listening to Lutoff-Perlo talk about the passengers aboard, they sound like a microcosm for American consumers more broadly. "We find that people are treating themselves to better accommodations," she said. "We find that they’re spending a lot of money on board because they just want to enjoy themselves. They want to go to the casino. They want to get a massage. They want to go to a specialty restaurant."
Those behaviors point towards a post-pandemic economic rebound. But questions loom over certain industries—including cruise lines—that were hard-hit during the pandemic but may struggle to capture some of that post-outbreak demand because of lingering safety concerns. Comfort-wise, there's a big difference between spending a few hours on a plane and a few days or even weeks on a massive cruise ship, which were vulnerable to outbreaks well before COVID-19 was on anyone's radar. Also, unlike many airlines, Celebrity is not advertising around health and safety efforts, Lutoff-Perlo told Eben. That decision could make it harder to convince cruise skeptics to come aboard. And at least one governor, Florida's Ron DeSantis, is attempting to bar companies (including cruise lines) from requiring passengers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, complicating safety efforts.
Personally, I've never been much of a cruise guy to begin with; I'd rather fly to wherever I'm going and enjoy more time in an actual place. And if cruise lines are banned from requiring passengers to be vaccinated, they could remain a health risk—two passengers aboard a dress rehearsal Celebrity trip earlier this month tested positive for COVID-19, underscoring the potential hazards. But for those who can't wait to sail the seven seas once again, your ship is about to come in—good news not just for cruise fans, but for tourism-dependent economies around the world, too.
Starting today, you’ll notice some differences in the format of the Coronavirus Brief. We’ll continue to write and send it out every weekday; however, given the (mostly positive!) direction the pandemic is heading, we’ll be reducing the extent of our coverage to only the most essential stories and information you need to know each day. As always, we welcome all feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
VACCINE TRACKER
About 379 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to U.S. states as of this afternoon, of which nearly 318 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 45.1% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
More than 178.4 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 3.8 million people have died. On June 20, there were 299,650 new cases and 6,553 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
The U.S. had recorded more than 33.5 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 601,800 people have died. On June 20, there were 3,892 new cases and 83 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of June 21, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Fifty-seven percent of U.S. adults were at least partially vaccinated by May 22, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis published today. However, while 80% of those 65 or older have received at least one dose, only 38.3% of those aged 18-29 have done so, leaving younger adults more vulnerable as new variants, like Delta, spread around the country. Another CDC report today suggests that addressing young people's concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy could help spur more uptake among the 18-29 age group. The latter report also found particularly low uptake among "non-Hispanic Black adults and those with less education, no insurance, and lower household incomes."
The Delta variant, which appears to be both more transmissible and cause more severe disease, is spreading more rapidly in U.S. counties with lower vaccination rates, according to new research from genomics firm Helix soon to be published as a preprint study, CNN reports. The results underscore the urgency of vaccinating as many Americans as possible before the Delta variant becomes the dominant form of the coronavirus in the country.
Brazil has officially reported more than 500,000 total COVID-19 deaths, per TIME's tracker, more than any country aside from the U.S. However, as in other countries, Brazil's true number of deaths is likely higher than the official count. The new milestone comes amid mounting domestic opposition to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who critics say failed to adequately handle the country's outbreak.
Fans will be allowed at this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo, organizers announced today, but with sharp limits: venues will be capped at 50% capacity with a maximum of 10,000 attendees, the Associated Press reports. Those rules are subject to change, and fans may still be barred entirely. The news comes amid mounting domestic opposition to the Olympics, which many of Japan's residents worry will fuel viral spread there.
More vaccination sites have been set up in whiter areas of Brooklyn, New York compared to less white areas, according to an analysis published late last week in JAMA Network Open. Moreover, the vaccination sites serving areas with higher poverty rates are in neighborhoods with nearly double the median population density, further compounding the access issue. "Without concrete, multilevel solutions, disparities in hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 are likely to continue even while COVID-19 positivity rates continue to trend downward," the authors write.
Even as the worst of India's latest COVID-19 spike appears to be over, health officials there are reporting an uptick in cases of mucormycosis, a potentially fatal fungal infection commonly referred to as "black fungus." In total, some 30,000 cases have been identified. As the New York Times reports, some experts believe the rise in mucormycosis—which is largely being reported among COVID-19 patients—is tied to the use of steroids, which can help treat coronavirus patients but also make it easier for fungal infections to take hold.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Alex Fitzpatrick and edited by Elijah Wolfson
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