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.