Herbert C. Covey worked for over forty years as an administrator in human services, public policy, and juvenile justice. He also taught part-time at the University of Colorado.

• ContentsPrefaceChapter 1. Welcome to the Covid-19 PandemicChapter 2. Consequences of Covid-19Chapter 3. A Brief History of Pandemics and VaccinesChapter 4. The Pandemic and Collective BehaviorChapter 5. Covid-19 Social Behaviors and TrendsChapter 6. Political Tribalism and the Politicization of Covid-19Chapter 7. Covid-19 Rumors, Myths, and Conspiracy TheoriesChapter 8. Controversy and Covid-19 RestrictionsReferencesAbout the Author

This book aims to present accurate and reputable data and information about the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the attitudes and behaviors of American society. The text includes a plethora of national surveys that document Americans' beliefs and behaviors related to the pandemic. Covey, an expert in the field of human services, examines these divergent views, from life-threatening to conspiratorial, swayed by political, historical, cultural, psychological, and social considerations. The volume affords greater prominence to aspects of the social sciences and humanities that pertain to this issue than to the medical factors. Identifying how societal perceptions were influenced by elements of collective behavior (e.g., rumor, panic, and protests), Covey asserts that these collective behaviors led to poor health decisions, resulting in more severe cases of COVID-19 and/or death. The book opens with a chapter on basic definitions and culminates with an overview of governmental efforts to mandate vaccination, which also addresses the lack of power to impose those mandates. This study provides an overview of how Americans understood and responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic affected everyone’s life in some way, this an important read for all audiences. Recommended. All readers.