Covid-19 cases are down from their winter peak but still high. Experts wonder: Will the pandemic keep improving, or does the US risk another surge if reopening goes too fast? | Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Why experts believe life could be “normal-ish” by fall — and why they fear it won’t be.

Are we in the endgame now?

The Covid-19 pandemic in the United States has decelerated from its winter peak. On January 8, the country saw more than 300,000 new cases — a single-day record. Also on January 8, the US peaked at nearly 250,000 cases a day based on a weekly rolling average, according to Our World in Data.

As of February 24, the US is averaging a little more than 68,000 new Covid-19 cases every day. Hospitalizations have also decreased (to about 54,000 patients currently hospitalized,