Poll: Only 21 Percent Are Worried About Coronavirus Infection After Success of Operation Warp Speed

A Friday poll indicates only 21 percent of Americans are worried about a coronavirus infection in their inner circle, 13 months after former President Donald Trump announced Operation Warp Speed to facilitate vaccine creation.

An AP-NORC poll suggests that “21% are very or extremely worried about a COVID-19 infection in their inner circle — the lowest level since the pandemic began.”

The poll also says Americans are “extremely or very likely to wear a mask when participating in indoor activities outside their homes, while just 28% say the same about outdoor activities.”

The Associated Press reported June 18 the directive by Trump to conduct Operation Warp Speed has resulted in a “slow down rates of infection and death, allowing state and local economies to reopen and leading Americans to return to activities they once enjoyed.”

Newsweek op-ed in May described the effort to quickly develop vaccines as “one of the greatest medical achievements of the modern age.”

One year ago tomorrow, President Trump launched Operation Warp Speed (OWS), a bold scientific initiative that resulted in one of the greatest medical achievements of the modern age. It ranks alongside President Kennedy’s Moon Shot in its audacity and is virtually unrivalled in its results.

Thanks to OWS, our nation developed three safe, effective and life-saving vaccines at record speed. This incredible feat of science and medicine should be celebrated and our nation should seek to codify it and replicate its success in additional fields of pandemic response.

The poll was conducted with 1,125 adults from June 10-14 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel.