We Need to Talk About Covid, Part 1

<p>It appears that the United States may be at a turning point in the pandemic. The contagiousness of the Omicron variant has many people resigned to the fact that they probably will be infected; this variant is, relative to its predecessors and in most cases, milder; and there is universal vaccine access for those old enough to receive a shot. </p><p>So, The Times commissioned a poll of 4,400 Americans to discover how they are thinking about the pandemic and gauge how, and when, we might pivot to living with the virus. </p><p>We explore the results of this poll — and the divides in opinion by age, vaccination status and politics. </p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-leonhardt?smid=pc-thedaily">David Leonhardt</a>, a senior writer for The New York Times.</p><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>The two Covid Americas: You can read<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/25/briefing/covid-behavior-vaccinated-unvaccinated.html?smid=pc-thedaily"> David Leonhardt’s analysis</a> of a poll about attitudes toward the pandemic here. </li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit </p><p><a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a></p><p>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.</p>