Fears of contracting COVID-19 at lowest point in past year: Gallup

Nationwide fears about contracting the coronavirus have dropped to the lowest level since a month after the pandemic began last year, according to a new survey. 

The Gallup poll published Tuesday found 35 percent of U.S. adults say they are very or somewhat worried about contracting COVID-19. That percentage represents the lowest level of concern since April of 2020. 

At the same time, 22 percent now say they are very or moderately worried about access to hospital services and or treatment for the virus, and another 14 percent are just as worried about access to a COVID-19 test should they need one.

Gallup noted the percentage of people concerned with getting COVID-19 is down 14  points from February. Fears about infections reached a peak last summer at 59 percent, the survey giant noted. 

While overall coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths fell to begin the year as more Americans became vaccinated, pockets of infection have popped up in several states across the country, fueling fears of another deadly wave of the pandemic. 

“We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope. But right now I’m scared,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky last week. 

More states have opened up vaccine eligibility for younger Americans in recent weeks, as local governments work to hit President Biden’s goal of having every citizen eligible for inoculation by the middle of the summer.  

Among the Americans who report having received full vaccination, 21 percent are still worried about catching COVID-19, Gallup found in its survey. Just more than 1 in 3 — 37 percent — of those only partially vaccinated, meaning they have only had one shot, are similarly concerned. 

The Gallup poll was conducted March 15-21 among 3,905 adults. It has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.