The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Some in the US act as if the pandemic is over. And no (Analysis)

2021-04-05T07:04:34.688Z


The problem with less social distancing from Americans is that the covid-19 pandemic is not over. The economic cost of covid-19 in the US 1:45 (CNN) - A new Gallup poll found that the percentage of Americans respecting physical distance is declining. Fewer Americans said they had avoided events with large crowds (62%), travel (57%), public places (48%), and small gatherings (45%) in the seven days before Gallup asked them any time since. Mid-March 2020, when the pandemic first became a reali


The economic cost of covid-19 in the US 1:45

(CNN) -

A new Gallup poll found that the percentage of Americans respecting physical distance is declining.

Fewer Americans said they had avoided events with large crowds (62%), travel (57%), public places (48%), and small gatherings (45%) in the seven days before Gallup asked them any time since. Mid-March 2020, when the pandemic first became a reality for many Americans.

This survey is supported by an Axios / Ipsos survey from the end of March, which showed that more and more Americans are willing to participate in activities outside the home.

It's also backed by travel data like that from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on how many Americans fly every day.

What is the point?

Polls and real-world data clearly show that Americans are beginning to emerge from their pandemic shells, as state governments loosen restrictions.

While many Americans are doing this as they get vaccinated against COVID-19, many are doing it regardless of vaccination.

This drop in physical distancing is occurring as new cases of Covid-19 begin to emerge.

In fact, the way some Americans are behaving and the continued transmission of the virus reflect a world in which Americans are clearly tired of thinking about a pandemic that is sadly still with us.

What is scariest is that the people who are putting themselves at greatest risk due to lack of physical distancing are the people who are least likely to get vaccinated.

For example, only 22% of those who say they will never be vaccinated say they have avoided public places in the past week compared to 54% of those who are fully vaccinated, according to a Gallup poll.

advertising

There is also a partisan angle to this risky behavior.

Republicans were nearly twice as likely (60%) in an Ipsos poll from late March to say they had eaten out the week before as Democrats (33%).

Republicans (62%) were also more likely to say they had visited friends or family in the past week than Democrats (38%).

This occurs even when more Democrats (40%) said they have been vaccinated compared to 27% of Republicans in the latest Gallup poll.

The problem with less social distancing from Americans is that the pandemic is not over.

LEE

: Covid in Latin America: this is how the week of April 5 begins in some of the most affected countries in the region

While the case count has dropped in recent months in the US, the decline has clearly stopped.

New case counts are on the rise now, hovering well above 50,000 in the seven-day average.

Hospitalization rates, which had been declining and tend to be a lagging indicator of cases, are now practically flat at around 40,000.

Some parts of the country have it worse.

In Michigan, for example, cases and hospitalizations have increased more than 100% from where they were in recent weeks.

New York's case rate is also increasing rapidly.

Yet in some ways, it should come as no surprise that Americans are taking their foot off the pedal when it comes to social distancing.

Many have distanced themselves socially for a year, and their informational habits clearly indicate a shift in interest in thinking about the pandemic.

For example, fewer people have been searching for coronavirus on Google since March 2020. At the same time, only 31% of Americans told the Pew Research Center in March this year that they are closely following news about the coronavirus. .

That's the lowest in the entire pandemic and seen across partisan lines.

The shift in news interests was well reflected during President Joe Biden's press conference in March.

Although Biden addressed the coronavirus in his opening remarks, he was not asked a single question on the subject specifically.

Some Americans seem to acknowledge that the pandemic is not over.

The coronavirus issue is still ranked as the top problem by 25% of the public in Gallup polls.

The Gallup poll roughly matches the latest Ipsos poll in which 22% of Americans said they were extremely concerned about the pandemic.

LEE

: Wait until you are fully vaccinated before resuming your normal activities, health experts beg Americans

Comparing their social distancing behaviors, Democrats (35%) were much more likely to say they were extremely concerned than Republicans (10%).

Still, even among Democrats, the percentage who are extremely concerned has dropped more than 10 points in the past two months.

Hopefully, even as Americans' concerns about the virus are subsiding, enough Americans are staying vigilant and getting vaccinated early so that before long, the virus is not a major problem.

Covid-19

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-04-05

You may like

Business 2024-02-17T05:12:29.935Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.