As countries around the world have started the biggest inoculation campaign in human history, the pandemic is far from under control in many places, including the US and Europe. With large parts of the "old continent" still on lockdown, European governments are dreading the effect of the holiday season, which they fear could undo any progress made in recent weeks.

The same is true for the US, where a record number of nearly 300,000 new cases were reported on Saturday. While the latest upticks in case counts in Europe and the US could be explained by a lag in reporting due to the holidays, the next few days will show in which directions we're heading in the battle against the winter wave of the pandemic.

This article was first published on Statista.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.