Europe's coronavirus case counts just keep climbing

Europe is now recording far more new coronavirus cases than ever before.

The big picture: One reason is testing. Deaths and hospitalizations remain far below the levels seen in the spring, though they continue to tick upward.

• Officials in Spain and France are scrambling to respond to their particularly worrying outbreaks. Madrid is now under quarantine, while Paris has closed bars for two weeks.
• Germany had fared better but is now facing a spike. Germany's public health agency said "parties and family gatherings, including weddings, birthdays and funerals, were the main sources of new infections," per the WSJ.

The flipside: Hope is rising that Latin America is now past the peak of a long, brutal climb.

• Hard-hit countries including Brazil, Mexico and Peru have all seen significant declines in new cases and deaths.
• It's unclear whether the encouraging trend will continue. The WSJ warns that "Latin Americans, comforted by the recent declines, have filled hair salons, bars and gyms."
• "With only 8% of the world’s population, Latin America has now accounted for a third of global deaths from Covid-19."

India's case count is also trending downward, though it's too early to conclude the worst is over.