Daily cases of COVID-19 are currently decreasing in most parts of the world, and deaths – which had been increasing globally by the end of January – are also starting to decline.
The big picture: We can only learn a lot from this 30,000-foot view, and there is a lot to fear with the emerging variants. In addition, the cases and deaths were so high that even after coming down from the peak, we are still very close to the summit.
- But this is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, when cases are falling in basically all regions of the world at the same time. Globally, practically the only number that is increasing is the doses of vaccine administered.
- And in some places – South Asia, for example – there is growing confidence that the worst of the pandemic may be over 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.