Coronavirus spreads. But don't panic! (topical thread)

[Dānu]

538: Republicans And Democrats See COVID-19 Very Differently. Is That Making People Sick?

The article highlights some differences between opinions and worries about covid 19 among Republicans and Democrats. There is a partisan split between these worries and opinions, although it's hard to accurately test if this is leading to more people being sick. This is largely due to the non-uniform nature of available or accurate testing data.

While the rhetoric on masks and trusting science is growing worse, a majority of Americans (including Republicans) have followed guidelines of health experts at least somewhat. Of course, it'd be great to get that "at least somewhat" up to something more consistent. It seems to me the real danger at this point is the rhetoric coming down from the top.

It's worth noting that the data points from the Pew Research survey are from the third week of June, when deaths topped 110,000, yet Republican concerns about Covid-19 actually went down at a time when numbers of cases and deaths were soaring.