For many in the U.K., the pandemic may as well be over.
Mask requirements have been dropped. Free mass testing is a thing of the past. And for the first time since spring 2020, people can go abroad for holidays without ordering tests or filling out lengthy forms.
In the U.S., more and more Americans are testing at home, so official case numbers are likely a vast undercount. The roster of those newly infected include actors and politicians, who are tested regularly. Cabinet members, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Broadway actors and the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut have all tested positive.
"Blinding ourselves to this level of harm does not constitute living with a virus infection -- quite the opposite," said Stephen Griffin, a professor in medicine at the University of Leeds. "Without sufficient vaccination, ventilation, masking, isolation and testing, we will continue to `live with' disruption, disease and sadly, death, as a result."
Infection rates are so high that airlines had to cancel flights during the busy two-week Easter break because too many workers were calling in sick. In the U.S., outbreaks at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University are bringing back mask requirements to those campuses as officials seek out quarantine space.