COVID cases and deaths are starting to rise again. How worried should we be? – Hot air

Cases have also stabilized around the world. “The most likely explanation is the more contagious variants of the virus, such as the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first detected in Britain,” writes David Leonhardt to the New York Times. Jim Edwards of Business Insider points out that the increase in cases and deaths could be statistical noise, but notes that worrying new variants have also emerged in California and New York.

“Given the counterbalance increases in vaccinations and variants, as well as the high likelihood that people will stop taking precautions, a fourth wave is very likely this spring,” Apoorva Mandavilli reports to The Times, citing a majority of 21 experts. asked about the pandemic. “But they stressed that this is not an inevitable surge, if government officials and individuals maintain their precautions for a few more weeks,” and “deaths from COVID-19 will likely never increase as precipitously as they do. the past.”