Nearly 2 in 3 Americans in new poll express concerns about the Delta variant

• A new poll found nearly two in three Americans expressed concerns about the Delta virus variant.
• People vaccinated for COVID-19 showed more concern than those who were not fully vaccinated.
• COVID-19 cases are rising in the US as the Delta variant spreads.

Sixty-two percent of Americans in a new poll said they were at least somewhat concerned about the coronavirus strain that is fueling a rise in infections across the US.

The CBS News poll conducted by YouGov and published Sunday found that 72% of respondents who said they were fully vaccinated for COVID-19 also said they were somewhat or very concerned about the spread of the variant, compared with 48% of those who said they were not fully vaccinated.

Sixty percent of respondents said they were fully vaccinated.

-CBS News Poll (@CBSNewsPoll) July 18, 2021

The Delta variant is now believed to be responsible for more than half the new cases in the US. Cases have surged, particularly in areas where vaccination rates are low. And officials are urging unvaccinated Americans, who make up an overwhelming majority of hospitalizations, to get the shots.

"There is a message that is crystal clear: This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press briefing Friday. "We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk."

The CBS News poll found that 53% of those who said they were unvaccinated said they were "worried about allergies or side effects." It also found increases from June in people who cited a lack of trust in science or the government as reasons contributing to their vaccine hesitancy.

The poll surveyed 2,238 Americans from Wednesday to Saturday, with a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points for the entire sample, according to CBS News.

View the poll at CBS News»