Boston and New York are reopening for business, but Paris, Rome and Berlin are shuttered again amid a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
While a quarter of Americans now have at least one COVID-19 shot in their arms, only about 10% of Europeans do. And while a raft of analyses predict the U.S. economy will rebound strongly this year, forecasts for the 27-member European Union are middling.
While the coronavirus has taken a heavy health toll on both sides of the Atlantic, recovering from its economic devastation promises to be less egalitarian.
Europe’s slow vaccination rollout, complications with the AstraZeneca vaccine, more modest stimulus measures and a new upsurge in the virus may widen its near-term growth gap with the U.S., analysts say.
Related Headlines:
Pandemic rages in Eastern Europe leaving hospitals struggling to cope
Central Europe’s hospitals slammed, can’t treat all in need
Poland ‘lacking beds everywhere’ as new COVID-19 cases peak
COVID: Angela Merkel backtracks on Easter lockdown after uproar
Lockdown confusion: France’s new Covid-19 rules raise questions, satisfy few
Vienna and nearby regions to reinstate coronavirus lockdown over Easter
Sweden saw lower increase in deaths during 2020 than most of Europe
‘Nothing worse than COVID’ – Spaniards line up as AstraZeneca shots resume
Belgium reimposes strict lockdown amid worrying rise in Covid-19 cases
Finland proposes home lockdown for Helsinki residents for first time
How bad is Europe’s third wave of coronavirus?