Americans are feeling pessimistic about the future of the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time in several months, a new poll finds.
Conducted by Gallup, the survey found a sharp decline in people who feel the country's coronavirus situation is getting better, from 89 percent in June to only 40 percent in July.
Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who feel the pandemic is getting worse also eclipsed those who believe it is getting better, with the figure rising from three percent to 45 percent over the same time period.
This is the highest figure seen since December 2021, as the U.S. was hit by the deadly winter surge.
The poll comes as the nation now suffers a fourth wave of the pandemic with the Indian 'Delta' variant primarily responsible for the rise in cases.
Only 40% of Americans believe the COVID situation in the country is getting better, a sharp decline from the 89 % figure from June, and eclipsed by 45% of Americans who think it is getting worse
Gallup surveys Americans weekly, and averages monthly totals to find a monthly result.
The last time there was more pessimism than optimism around the pandemic was in January, before many Americans were eligible to receive the vaccine.
At the time, 39 percent of Americans were feeling negative about the future, while 33 percent were positive.
Since then, as the vaccine as become more widely available, case rates began to decrease and pandemic mandates were lifted, Americans have slowly become more hopeful with the way things are going.
Optimism reached its peak in June, then just as it seemed the U.S. could put the pandemic in the rear-view, the Delta variant struck.
After months of declining cases, America lost control of its COVID-19 situation once again in mid-July.
Over the past month, new average cases have increased by 315 percent, from around 20,000 in early July to over 85,000 in early August.
The light Americans saw at the end of the pandemic-tunnel seems to have gotten
