Poll: Public Concern on the Novel Coronavirus Remains Unchanged Following Trump’s Diagnosis

Public concern over the novel coronavirus remains unchanged despite President Trump’s recent diagnosis, a Morning Consult/Politico survey released Friday revealed.

According to the survey, Trump’s unexpected coronavirus diagnosis did not alter the public’s opinion on the novel coronavirus, with 53 percent of U.S. adults indicating that they were “very concerned.” That remains “unchanged from a Sept. 25-27 Morning Consult poll,” the survey stated.

The level of concern is down from the 65 percent of Americans who indicated they were “very concerned” about the virus in early April. While it dipped back down to 51 percent in mid-June, the level of concern spiked again in early August, reaching 62 percent.

According to Morning Consult:

In Friday’s poll, the share of adults who said they were only somewhat concerned about the virus (29 percent), not concerned about it (17 percent) or didn’t know or had no opinion (1 percent) mirrored trends in recent months, perhaps indicating the public has made up its mind about the virus and the president’s diagnosis hasn’t changed it yet.

The survey, taken Friday afternoon among 905 registered voters, also showed the vast majority of voters, 68 percent, believe Trump should address the nation concerning his diagnosis. The percentage is slightly higher among Democrats, 71 percent of whom expressed the same sentiments.

Trump briefly addressed the nation in a short message posted to social media on Friday afternoon, thanking people for their “tremendous” support.

“I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support. I’m going to Walter Reed hospital. I think I’m doing very well, but we’re going to make sure that things work out,” Trump said, adding that Melania is “doing very well”:

White House physician Sean Conley provided a positive update on the president’s health late Friday.

“This evening I am happy to report that the President is doing very well. He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen, but in consultation with specialists we have elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy,” Conley said.

On Saturday, doctors said Trump’s condition is improving. He no longer has a fever and is not experiencing trouble breathing.

“I feel like I could walk out of here today,” the president reportedly said.