(Newer)
– In assessing the state of the pandemic in the US, the Christian Science Monitor notices that something new is emerging across the country: “a sense of cautious optimism.” This is mainly due to a sharp drop in the number of cases in recent weeks, but there are also many potential problems on the horizon, including signs that the number of cases has stopped and fear of what the New York Times calls a “fourth wave”. Coverage:
- The rejection: The US was seeing about 250,000 new cases per day in early January, and the number had dropped to about 54,000 by the end of February, according to the CSMThe Times observes a 35% drop in the number of cases this month, plus a 31% drop in the number of hospital admissions. The number of deaths also fell, but not so rapidly (16%), with 3,210 registered on Wednesday.
- Which means? Those statistics lead Apoorva Mandavilli of the Times to write, “Is this it then? Is this the beginning of the end? After a year of grim statistics and cursed for wanting human contact, many Americans feel that a long-promised salvation is near.” Mandavilli interviewed 21 scientists, and most thought the worst was over. “This summer, they said, life could seem normal again.”
- A great qualification: In his New York Times newsletter, David Leonhardt draws attention to a potentially troubling trend: the number of new cases is stopped declined in the US and the world in recent days. Jim Edwards from Insider too takes note“Big question: are the new fast moving variants (UK, CA and NY) moving faster than the vaccines?” he wonders
- Fourth wave: Those rapidly emerging variants are a major reason why most scientists interviewed by Mandavilli predict a “fourth wave” of the virus. “We are essentially facing a pandemic within a pandemic,” said Adam Kucharski of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. However, they stressed that the surge could be prevented or at least muffled if Americans – and US officials – don’t become complacent about usual security protocols.
- Another good sign: The number of weekly COVID cases in nursing homes in the US has dropped as much as 89% since December due to vaccinations USA TodayThat far exceeds the national decline.
- Sum up: “Hang around there a little longer,” says Dr. Ashleigh Tuite from the University of Toronto Times“There is a lot of optimism and hope, but I think we need to be prepared for the fact that the coming months are likely to remain difficult.” Or like Raemecca Evans, who lost her restaurant job in Cincinnati due to the pandemic, it against the CSM: “I mean, it just got better.” But “for me it’s kind of a touch-and-go.”
(Read more stories about the coronavirus.)