‘Lurching Between Crisis and Complacency’: Was This Our Last Covid Surge?

Rising immunity and modest changes in behavior may explain why cases are declining, but much remains unknown, scientists say.

After a brutal summer surge, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, the coronavirus is again in retreat.

The United States is recording roughly 90,000 new infections a day, down more than 40 percent since August. Hospitalizations and deaths are falling, too.

The crisis is not over everywhere — the situation in Alaska is particularly dire — but nationally, the trend is clear, and hopes are rising that the worst is finally behind us.