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Prognosis

South America Gets Covid Break From Vaccines After Deadly Wave

  • World’s hardest-hit region sees big dropoff in cases, deaths
  • Experts point to natural defense, lack of vaccine hesitancy
Tourists gather at the Sugarloaf Mountain viewpoint in Rio de Janeiro, on Sept. 18.Photographer: Andre Borges/Bloomberg
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South America, exceptionally hard-hit by Covid-19, is seeing a sudden drop in cases and deaths, apparently from rapid and thorough vaccines on the heels of a horrific wave that provided antibodies to those it didn’t kill.

Over a seven-day period, the continent now makes up 6% of cases and 9% of deaths, the lowest since the start of the pandemic. At its peak in June, it represented 38% of global infections and 44% of fatalities.