The lingering threat of fall Covid-19 outbreaks

You’ve heard it before, but it’s true: This summer in America is going to be so good. After a year of Covid-19-induced fear, the US vaccination campaign and warmer weather will give the country a much-needed reprieve from the coronavirus and all the horrors it brought.

But what comes after the summer?

Last year, we saw that the coronavirus spreads more easily in the fall and winter than it does in warmer months. More than 330,000 Americans died from Covid-19 over six months during the fall and winter — an unimaginable death toll, amounting to nearly nine times all car crash deaths in 2019 and more than 17 times all murders.

One cause was the country’s relaxed response to the coronavirus, as much of America dropped its guard and precautions. But experts also blame the seasonality of Covid-19, as falling temperatures pushed people indoors, where the virus has an easier time spreading, and families gathered for the holiday season.