In this day and age, supposedly a time found in what’s generically called the modern era, the drag on overcoming a pandemic is both horrifying and sad. The Spanish Flu of a 100-plus-years ago could have been set in the dark ages compared to nowadays, with the advance in health care, medicine, and related specialities, a difference literally mind-blowing.

So it does hurt to hear Anthony Fauci report yesterday our current Delta-variant COVID surge is ‘not‘ near an end: ‘“But things are going to get worse.”‘
Dishearteningly, troublingly close to what Fauci said more than seven months ago:

Asked if he predicts that the “worst is still yet to come,” Fauci said, “I do.”
“If you look at the slope, the incline of cases we’ve experienced as we’ve got into the late fall and soon-to-be early winter, it really is quite troubling,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.

Despite the proven, in-your-face science, a new poll indicates we’re a fucked-up country:

NATIONAL POLL: Concern about a family member getting seriously ill from #Covid ticks up to 53% since the pandemic-era low of 42% last month.

https://t.co/Czud98mior pic.twitter.com/ZLkUN0yoHY

— MonmouthPoll (@MonmouthPoll) August 2, 2021

Results off the newest Monmouth University Poll released today came from before the CDC announced new mask guidelines last week, but the figures seem on target — those most concerned about catching COVID are the already vaccinated, a weird holdover from the shift just weeks ago.
Some high-points off the poll:

Before the CDC reversed course and announced new masking guidelines last week, the poll found a majority of Americans (52-percent) at least somewhat support instituting or reinstituting face mask and social distancing guidelines in their state. Another 46-percent are opposed.
The partisan split on this question is huge — 85-percent of Democrats support bringing back guidelines while 73-percent of Republicans oppose it.
Independents are divided with 42-percent in support and 55-percent opposed.

Health agencies in the federal government are generally seen as doing a good job dealing with the pandemic — a view shared by 57-percent of the public, compared with 33-percent who say these agencies are doing a bad job.
At the same time, most Americans (59-percent) say these agencies, such as the CDC, have been giving mixed messages about Covid risks.
Another 39-percent say these agencies have been largely consistent in their messaging.
…
Currently, 53-percent of the American public are at least somewhat concerned about a family member becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus.
This marks an increase from a pandemic-era low of 42-percent recorded in last month’s Monmouth poll.
However, the current finding remains lower than all prior results, which ranged between 67-percent and 83-percent.
The number who say they are very concerned about a serious illness in their family now stands at 30-percent, which is up from 23-percent in June but still lower than the prior range of 37-percent (early June 2020) to 60-percent (January 2021).

Just under half (48-percent) of Americans are at least somewhat concerned about catching one of the new coronavirus variants.
Interestingly, those who have received at least one vaccine dose (57-percent) are somewhat more likely to be worried about catching one of the new variants than those who are unvaccinated and either ready to get the shot or are waiting a little longer to see how it goes (47-percent).
On the other hand, extremely few (16-percent) of those who remain vehemently opposed to getting the vaccine have any concern about catching one of the new variants.

And the crazy:

However, 17-percent say they remain opposed to getting the vaccine at all. Among those who admit they will not get the vaccine if they can avoid it, 70-percent either identify with or lean toward the Republican Party while just 6-percent align with the Democrats.
Among those who are planning to get the vaccine or are persuadable, 45-percent are Republicans or lean toward that party and 40-percent are Democrats or Democratic leaners. Among those who have already received the vaccine, 32-percent fall on the Republican side of the political divide and 59-percent are on the Democratic side.

Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute:

“This could be a data blip, but it’s possible that more anti-vaxxers refuse to admit their position publicly now that leaders in their own party are pointing the finger at them for the recent surge. However, it is not clear that calling them out has moved many, if any, of them from their vehement anti-vax stance … On the other hand, we are starting to here anecdotal reports of some folks who were opposed to the vaccine getting it on the sly. Perhaps they are worried it will undercut their credibility in the partisan tribe if they admit it. The fact that we have to consider these possibilities is a reflection of how much our political discourse has deteriorated.”

Insane is the attempt to define our current situation…

(Illustration out front: Pablo Picasso’s ‘Agonizing Horse,’ found here),