Poll: Inflation up, virus down as priorities

The coronavirus pandemic is beginning to recede as a top priority in the minds of Americans. It’s increasingly overshadowed by concerns about the economy and personal finances, particularly inflation. That potentially spells political trouble for Democrats heading into the midterm elections. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds just 37 percent of Americans say COVID-19 is a top priority for the government to work on in 2022, compared with 53 percent who said it was at the start of last year. Instead, 68 percent of Americans polled named the economy as government’s top concern, while 14 percent mentioned inflation — including 18 percent of Republicans and 10 percent of Democrats.