Welcome to the 23rd edition of our COVID-19 Intelligence Report, which lives on our Audience Engine SUBSTACK!
This report is 900 words, about a 5 minute read.
Latest News
U.S. daily cases have fallen to ~25K, the fewest in 11 months (NYT)
50% of Americans 18+ are now fully vaccinated; states & companies are incentivizing vaccines to push the country closer to herd immunity (Axios)
NYC announces they will eliminate remote learning for the fall as states & cities across the US debate the future of online education (NYT)
The Public Mindset
67% of Americans now believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us - a dramatic increase from 33% at the end of the 2020 (Harris Poll)
The recent activities of many Americans reflect this cautious optimism, with 58% reporting they went out to eat within the last week and 63% visiting friends or relatives (IPSOS)
62% of Americans somewhat or strongly support government-imposed vaccine mandates, whereas far less (28%) support private businesses’ use of vaccine passports (Axios)
Despite high approval for the vaccine rollout (76%), the majority of Americans (65%) still fear a new wave, and less than half (46%) feel comfortable visiting friends without a mask (Harris Poll)
61% of Americans say they’re anxious about returning to normal socialization (higher for Millennials: 69%), and far less Americans (22%) say they’re comfortable socializing with a stranger at a bar (Harris)
The latest IPSOS poll reveals most Americans also doubt that strangers will be honest about their vaccination status, with 62% not trusting those they encounter outside their social circle (IPSOS/Axios)
Changes in Consumer Spending
Pet related purchases continue to surge: 44% of Americans took in a pet during the pandemic, 48% of whom were first time pet owners (Harris)
The most common reason among younger Americans for bringing home a pet: “the need for companionship” (35% of Millennials) and “emotional support” (34% Gen Zers) (Harris)
Summer travel appears imminent for many: Google searches for “California”, “Maine”, and “Florida” travel are up significantly, and queries like “when can americans travel to europe” are up 600% vs last month (Google Trends)
Changes in Health Care Needs
COVID is impacting family planning, with 25% of Older Millennials (Ages 33-40) saying they decided to wait longer to have children, and 1 in 5 reporting they will not have a child or additional children because of the pandemic (Harris/CNBC)
Healthcare company IQVIA estimates over 1 Billion diagnosis appointments were postponed in 2020, from annual physicals to cancer screenings (IQVIA)
The impact of this “diagnosis visit gap” is already evident: in a March 2021 survey, two-thirds of radiation oncologists say new patients are presenting more advanced stage cancers when compared to prior years (ASTRO)
After a year of explosive growth, weekly telehealth claims now show slight decreases YoY (-5%) as compared to April 2020’s peak (IQVIA)
Total Prescriptions (TRx ) across many specialties are in-line with pre-COVID levels, most notably for Dermatology (+6%) and Urology (0%), while New Prescriptions (NBRx) remain lower (IQVIA)
Consumer Content Interest
Fans of the sitcom Friends frantically await the much anticipated reunion set to air on HBO Max tonight (5/27) - garnering 4MM mentions across social in the past week (Brandwatch)
Crypto conversations continue to become more mainstream as shown by the growth of online traffic - several crypto-focused media companies are ramping up staff as their revenues continue to skyrocket (Similar Web)
Gen Zers have been leveraging TikTok to both share & receive career advice - TikTok has responded to the trend by testing a new tool to serve as a recruitment channel for brands & companies (Washington Post)
Changes in Media Behavior
INTERACT
Nearly half of TikTokers report buying brands they see on the platform, with 15% of all American Adults and 36% of all Gen Zers saying they’ve made a purchase based on TikTok (Adweek)
Facebook is kicking off its “Live Shopping Fridays” this week, designed to familiarize brands with its new ecommerce livestreaming feature (Facebook)
Facebook is also working to steal some of NextDoor’s and Clubhouse’s popularity through their new Neighborhood and Audio Rooms offerings
WATCH
Connected TV streaming in March decreased 18% for A18-49 and -14% for A25-54 vs. March 2020 (when stay-at-home orders were in effect) (MAGNA)
LISTEN
Daily time spent listening to digital audio (1 hour 36 minutes) has for the first time surpassed radio (1 hour 26 minutes) (eMarketer)
What Brands are Doing
For COVID-19:
Hornitos Tequila is closing the gap between Spanish-speaking communities and vaccines through a partnership with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to translate vaccination resources (Adweek)
CeraVe released a four-part docu series titled “Heroes Behind the Masks” which follows nurses across America, sharing what inspired them to enter the medical field, the difficulties of working through a pandemic, and what they hope for the future of nursing (CeraVe)
For AAPI Heritage Month:
Bank of America expanded their $1 billion 4-year commitment to “advance equality and economic opportunity” to include funds specifically for people of Asian descent (BofA)
Streaming services offered content that highlighted AAPI talent as well as the discrimination they’ve endured, including Netflix’s Celebrate AAPI Stories Collection, MTV’s See Us United For Change special, and Amazon Studio’s virtual discussion
Thanks for reading! Be well!