Most in new poll say pandemic will be over when COVID-19 is largely a mild illness

A majority of Americans surveyed in a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll say they believe they’re going to be stuck with COVID-19 for a long time.

The poll found 83 percent of Americans say they’ll feel the pandemic is over when COVID-19 is largely a mild illness, according to the AP. Only 15 percent say they will consider the pandemic over when the disease is eliminated. 

“It’ll become endemic and we’ll be stuck with it forever,” 38-year-old Ryan Wilson told the news service. “It’s frustrating, but what can you do about it?”

Regarding vaccinations, 59 percent of individuals said that they think it is crucial to be inoculated against COVID-19 to safely participate in public activities. However, only 37 percent of parents said that it is essential to vaccinate their children before returning to normal life, the AP noted. 

As for boosters, only 47 percent of Americans surveyed said that they feel they should get one, despite evidence that the jab provides better protection against the virus and its variants. 

A majority of Americans also reported taking preventive measures against the omicron variant while trying to return to normal life. The poll found that 64 percent of respondents said that they are always avoiding large groups, with 65 percent saying they are wearing face masks. Those percentages are up from 57 percent recorded for each question in December, according to the AP. 

Additionally, 60 percent of people in the new poll said they are avoiding nonessential travel, also up from 53 percent last month. 

The AP-NORC poll was conducted on 1,161 adults from Jan. 13 to 18. The margin of error is 3.8 percentage points.