Story at a glance
- The Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found that 6 in 10 likely voters say the spread of the coronavirus is out of control in the U.S.
- Thirty-five percent of respondents believe the spread is under control.
- Fifty-seven percent of likely voters disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
A new poll suggests the majority of Americans believe the coronavirus is out of control in the United States as a new wave of infections is moving through the country less than two weeks before the presidential election.
The Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found that 6 in 10 likely voters say the spread of the coronavirus is out of control in the U.S., while 35 percent of respondents believe the spread is under control.
Our country is in a historic fight against the Coronavirus. Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
The survey also found 57 percent of likely voters disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak compared with 41 percent of respondents who said they approve. On handling the response to the deadly pandemic, 55 percent said they believed former Vice President Biden would do a better job, while 38 percent said Trump would.
“In a historically chaotic election year, voters are feeling like the coronavirus is out of control,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said.
The U.S. continues to be the worst-affected country in the world with more than 8.3 million cases and more than 222,000 deaths as of Thursday.
The number of single-day coronavirus deaths reported in the U.S. on Wednesday reached its highest total in two months, rising to 1,237, after deaths nationwide had averaged about 700 a day through most of October, according to Reuters.
More than 60,000 daily new cases have been reported for three straight days and hospitals in many states are beginning to exceed capacity.
The resurgence comes after months of warnings from public health experts and officials who predicted outbreaks would worsen in the colder months alongside flu season.
The poll of 1,426 likely voters was conducted from Oct. 16-19 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
READ MORE ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
THE COMING WEEKS WILL BE ‘DARKEST OF THE ENTIRE PANDEMIC,’ INFECTIOUS DISEASES EXPERT SAYS
WISCONSIN REIMPOSES CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS AMID SURGE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE COULD GET WORSE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.