Live Updates: Covid Wave Dampens New Year Observances Worldwide

Life was supposed to return to normal this year. Instead, 2021 turned into a kind of purgatory. But there is good reason to hope 2022 will be better.
As this year comes to a close, we want to look back on the arc of the pandemic — and look ahead to the new year that starts Saturday.
This past year began with the ramping up of a mass vaccination campaign, which many people celebrated by taking post-shot selfies of their bandaged arms. By February, new Covid-19 cases were plummeting, and by...