US counties who voted for Donald Trump at higher risk of COVID death, claims study

A recent National Public Radio (NPR) study suggests that those who live in counties that voted for Donald Trump are nearly three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who live in counties that voted for Joe Biden. Since May 2021, NPR has looked at deaths per 100,000 people in about 3,000 counties across the United States. As per the reports of NPR, the 1st of May was picked as the start date since it closely corresponds to the time when adult vaccination became widely available.

According to The Guardian, the study reveals that counties which supported Donald Trump by at least 60% in November 2020 had death rates that were 2.7 times higher than counties that supported Biden by at least 60%. The survey also discovered that counties with a higher percentage of Trump voters had lower vaccination rates. The states of Hawaii, Nebraska, and Alaska were removed from the analysis because they either do not disclose election results by county or do not report vaccination data at the county level.

59% of Republicans are vaccinated, 91% of Democrats are vaccinated

People in rural Republican communities, as well as Republicans in general, are less likely to get vaccinated. According to the most recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) data, Republican COVID vaccination stands at 59%, while Democrats have been vaccinated at a rate of 91%. Liz Hamel, vice president of public opinion and survey research at the KFF, according to NPR, stated that an unvaccinated person is three times more likely to lean Republican than Democrat, and if she wanted to guess if someone was vaccinated or not, she would definitely ask what their party affiliation is.

KFF also reveals that 94% of Republicans believe one or more incorrect statements about COVID and vaccines are real. Numerous Republican governors have rejected concerns about low vaccination rates and advocated for the abolition of public health measures like mask-wearing and social distancing in favour of reopening companies, according to The Guardian. Liz Hamel stated that they have noticed reduced levels of personal worry among Republicans who remain vaccinated.

788,000 people in the United States have died due to COVID

COVID has killed about 788,000 people in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University. As of now, 60% of the total population of the US is fully vaccinated, which is around 19.8 crores people. Overall 47.2 crores doses have been given in the country.

Image: AP