Almost two-thirds of Americans say COVID is a 'problem,' but not a 'crisis'

Almost three-quarters of Americans now believe COVID-19 is "a problem, but manageable," according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index released Tuesday.

The poll shows that 73 percent of Americans describe COVID as "a problem, but manageable," 17 percent as "not a problem at all," and only nine percent as "a crisis."

Democrats continue to take the pandemic far more seriously than Republicans. Only three percent of GOP respondents called COVID a "crisis," compared to 16 percent of Democrats. Republicans were 10 times likelier than Democrats to say the virus is no longer a problem.

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Clear majorities of Americans also said they believed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were declining in their states, a view Axios described as "much rosier" than the actual situation. According to CDC data, Axios reports, cases are on the rise while "hospitalizations and deaths [are] holding steady at low levels."

CBS News reported Saturday on Americans' seeming lack of awareness or concern about the increase in cases driven by the new BA.2 subvariant, calling it "America's first 'so what' COVID wave."

The poll surveyed 1,043 adults from April 8–11 with an error margin of 3.0–3.5 percent.