8 in 10 Americans Say They Are Concerned About Second Wave of Coronavirus, Poll Shows

Eighty-one percent of Americans say they are concerned about a second wave of the novel coronavirus, according to a new poll.

The poll, which was conducted by Axios/Ipsos, surveyed 1,022 U.S. adults from June 12 to June 15. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

According to the poll, among the 81 percent who said they were concerned about a second wave, 30 percent said they were extremely concerned, 26 percent said very, and 24 percent said they were somewhat concerned. The remaining 1 percent said they haven't heard of it or didn't know.

In comparison, the poll found that 18 percent of Americans said they were not concerned with a second wave, with 11 percent saying, "not very concerned," and 6 percent saying, "not at all." The remaining 1 percent skipped the question.

If there is a second wave of the novel coronavirus in the U.S., the poll found that those surveyed will tend to follow many of the same guidelines previously put in place to curb the spread of the virus.

According to the poll, 85 percent said they would follow social distancing guidelines, such as staying inside and avoiding others as much as possible, if a second wave comes. Among the 85 percent, 64 percent said they were very likely to follow guidelines, and 21 percent said somewhat likely.

Additionally, the poll found that, in the event of a second wave, 73 percent said they were likely to stop going to retail stores, 79 percent said they were likely to stop having gatherings with family and friends and 65 percent said they were likely to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The poll's findings come as states across the country continue to move through their phased reopening plans, despite spikes in cases in many states. According to a tracker provided by Johns Hopkins University, there are currently over 2.1 million cases of the new coronavirus in the U.S., and at least 116,250 deaths.

Despite many Americans expressing their concern, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently spoke to CNN about the increase in cases in some states and how it does not specifically show a "second spike."

"It is not inevitable that you will have a so-called 'second wave' in the fall or even a massive increase if you approach it in the proper way," Fauci said. "However, when you start to see increases in hospitalization, that's a surefire situation that you've got to pay close attention to."

Newsweek reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment on the poll's findings but did not receive a response in time for publication.