Fatalities More Than Double in 2022, Public Wants to Move On

The number of fatalities from the coronavirus and its variants more than doubled, to 940,000 from the 411,000 Joe Biden inherited from the Trump administration. The relentless spread of the latest Omicron version, while less deadly, has been debilitating to America’s efforts to return to normal. The impact on the health care system and its ICUs has been well-documented, and now the shift in the politics of the country is opening wide visible divisions. For example, governors, including Democrats, are lifting restrictions, hopeful the pandemic is receding. They are being joined by many counties, cities and school boards, but the White House believes it’s “premature.”

Polls show the public’s divisions in opinions:

• People are divided on what to do next: 51% learn to live with the virus vs. 48% stop the spread highest priority (CNN).
• Public officials are reacting to exhaustion from pandemic (75% feel burned out) (CNN), yet deaths still average 2,300 per day, and 64% think we can’t eradicate the virus in next year (Axios-Ipsos).
• Mandates are polarizing (21% no mandates, 29% some, 23% keep current, 21% increase mask and vaccine requirements), K-12 education (67% worried children fall behind due to online instruction) restrictions are highly controversial (Axios-Ipsos).
• CDC’s performance rating (50%, down 10 points since August) and President Biden’s approval ratings (40% new low) on handling issue down (Pew).

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