Daily cases of COVID-19 are currently falling over most of the world, and deaths – which have risen worldwide by the end of January – are also beginning to decline.
The whole picture: We can learn just as much from this 30,000-foot view, and there is plenty of fear for the emerging variants. On top of that, the cases and deaths were so high that even after we climbed off the peak, we are still pretty close to the summit.
- But this is the first time since the pandemic began, where cases in the same world are falling simultaneously. Worldwide, virtually the only increasing number have been administered with vaccines.
- And in some places – for example in South Asia – confidence is growing that the worst of the pandemic could be, even before vaccines are widely available.
Our thought bubble: Optimism did not age well during this pandemic, and this chart may look very different within a few weeks.