Virus Variants Threaten to Draw Out the Pandemic, Scientists Say Declining infection rates overall masked a rise in more contagious forms of the coronavirus. Vaccines will stop the spread, if Americans postpone celebration just a bit longer. Signs encouraged social distancing along Ocean Drive Miami Beach, Fla., where revelers have flouted virus precautions during a tumultuous spring break. Credit...Scott McIntyre for The New York Times Published April 3, 2021Updated April 4, 2021, 12:03 a.m. ET For weeks, the mood in much of the United States has been buoyant. Cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus have fallen steeply from their highs, and millions of people are being newly vaccinated every day. Restaurants, shops and schools have reopened. Some states, like Texas and Florida, have abandoned precautions altogether.