COVID concerns tick up in new Gallup poll

Three in 10 Americans believe the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening, while more than 1 in 4 worry about being infected, according to a new Gallup poll.

The new poll, published Thursday, found that 30 percent of respondents said the ongoing pandemic is worsening, while 41 percent think it’s getting better and 30 percent said it has stayed the same.

That marks a 25 percent increase from a similar poll published in May, where 5 percent of respondents said they believe the pandemic is getting worse. 

Along political party lines, 44 percent of Democratic respondents believe the pandemic is getting worse, compared with 22 percent of independents and 16 percent of Republicans.

Asked about their concern about contracting the virus, 41 percent of Democrats were concerned, compared to 23 percent of independents and 11 percent of Republicans.

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will relaunch a program that allows people to order free COVID-19 tests through the mail, preparing for a potential winter surge of cases. The website Covidtests.gov will relaunch for new orders Monday.

Federal agencies also approved a new COVID-19 vaccine last week, which is now widely available at pharmacies, local health departments and community clinics. However, the rollout is off to a bumpy start as insurers adapt to the first vaccine campaign since the federal health emergency ended.

Since July, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been on the rise in the U.S., though numbers remain well below where they were during the peak of the pandemic. 

The Gallup poll was conducted from Aug. 29 to Sept. 5 with 5,287 respondents. The poll’s margin of error is 2 percentage points.