[_ph_]

Sure, over the whole run of the pandemic the case count has to be adjusted for changes in the testing regime. But in many countries the testing has been reasonably constant for many months, so the case count is a good indicator of the state of things.

[leereeves]

The most vulnerable people are being vaccinated right now, so we should expect (hope?) that the number of hospitalizations and deaths will decrease significantly even if the number of cases does not.