Can the US avoid a European-style new wave of coronavirus infections?

US health experts say Europe's spike in new infections and hospitalizations should be a warning against dropping safeguards early

Optimism is spreading in the US as Covid-19 deaths plummet and states ease restrictions and open vaccinations to younger adults. But across Europe, dread is setting in with another wave of infections, which are closing schools and cafes and bringing new lockdowns.

The pandemic's diverging paths on the two continents can be linked in part to a much faster vaccine rollout in the US and greater spread of contagious variants in Europe.