Almost 3 in 4 say pandemic is getting worse: Gallup

Nearly 3 in 4 Americans said in a new poll that they believe the coronavirus pandemic is getting worse. 

The survey, released Thursday by Gallup, found that 73 percent of respondents said that the “coronavirus situation in the U.S. today” is either “a lot” or “a little” worse. That percentage is up 12 points from a Gallup poll earlier in the fall, when 61 percent agreed that the pandemic was worsening.

Across political parties, 95 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of independents and 46 percent of Republicans said in the new poll that the pandemic is getting worse across the country.

The findings come as COVID-19 cases have surged across the country. The U.S. on Wednesday reported 218,473 coronavirus cases and 3,053 deaths.

The poll also found that 50 percent of Americans said they are either “very” or “moderately” worried about the availability of hospital supplies and services.  

Seventy-one percent of Democrats expressed concern about hospital capacities, compared to 49 percent of independents and 20 percent of Republicans, according to the poll.

Over 1 in 3 U.S. residents live in a locality where hospitals are nearing limits for intensive care unit beds amid the surge in cases, The New York Times reported this week, citing federal data. 

Americans are also increasingly worried about personally contracting COVID-19. Fifty-eight percent of survey respondents said they are “very” or “moderately” worried about getting the coronavirus, up from 49 percent who said the same earlier in the fall.

That percentage peaked in August, when 59 percent of survey respondents said they were worried about becoming infected.

The Thursday Gallup poll was conducted Nov. 16 – Nov. 29 among 2,968 adults. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.