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Poll reveals who Americans blame for the Delta variant

Protesters at an anti-mask and anti-vaccine rally in New Hampshire, 15 May (AFP via Getty Images)
Protesters at an anti-mask and anti-vaccine rally in New Hampshire, 15 May (AFP via Getty Images)

Respondents from a new poll blame the unvaccinated for the spread of coronavirus.

Of the 999 adults surveyed in the recent Axios-Ipsos poll, 80 per cent said the rise in Covid cases was down to those who had refused to get a Covid-19 jab.

Only 10 per cent of unvaccinated respondents thought those without vaccines could be to blame for rising levels of infections.

Highlighting the political polarisation in the US, 36 per cent of vaccinated people in the survey cited Donald Trump as a reason for coronavirus spreading, while 30 per cent cited foreign travel and 33 per cent said conservative media could be a reason for increases in the disease.

Among the unvaccinated, 27 per cent of people blamed foreign travellers, 27 per cent blamed the mainstream media and 23 per cent blamed Americans going abroad for Delta spreading. Only 11 per cent of this group blamed Donald Trump and 7.5 per cent conservative media. Twenty-one per cent of unvaccinated people blamed President Joe Biden for the spread.

Watch: COVID-19: Fed 'monitoring' delta variant risk to parts of the US economy

The more worrying survey results were down to misinformation, claimed Ipsos.

“We’re dealing with a serious misinformation wall at this point that’s clouding facts,” said spokesperson Cliff Young.

“The only way to get to them if you’re going to get to them is hard policies, hard mandates.”

Only one in three of those surveyed said they would take the vaccine if their employer said it would be a requirement to show up for work.

Cases of the Delta variant have surged across the US this week, with high hospitalisation numbers in a number of states, including Florida and Louisiana. Around 10,000 patients were admitted to hospital in Florida due to the highly contagious variant on Sunday.

The CDC has reintroduced its indoor mask-wearing recommendation in areas with high Covid-19 infection rates.

Masks can protect against the Delta variant states the American Lung Association. “Masks help protect against infection by decreasing the ability to inhale the droplets.”

Covid-19 vaccinations reduce the chances of getting a severe version of the illness and being hospitalised or dying from the disease. “All of the vaccines available in this country have been shown to be highly effective against all current variants,” said the American Lung Association.

According to Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the president, there are “100 million people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not getting vaccinated.” Around 58 per cent of Americans have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Watch: How the world could be better after COVID