American scientists have pointed to the difference between the excess mortality rate of Republican voters and that of Democrats in Florida and Ohio, after the start of vaccination.
Covid-19 and political opinion, the link is tenuous in the United States. Republican voters in Florida and Ohio died more than their Democratic counterparts once the Covid-19 vaccine hit the market. This is asserted by a study carried out by researchers from the American University of Yale, and published in the medical journal JAMAon July 24.
“The excess mortality rate among Republican voters was 43% higher than the excess mortality rate among Democratic voters” after the opening of vaccine eligibility, note the scientists, without attributing the causes of death to covid-19.
In the first phase of the pandemic, between March 2020 and May 2021 – the month following the availability of vaccines – the difference was fine, the two groups were affected by excess mortality. After this pivotal date, the gap widened.
Political speeches in question
The potential cause behind this discrepancy? Speeches by Republican political figures who displayed distrust of vaccines, mask-wearing and social distancing, or any other pandemic-fighting measures blamed on Democrats.
Although the link between rising Republican death tolls and vaccine hesitancy could not be proven, the data suggests it does exist.
A Republican voter in Nevada protests the passage of a mail-in ballot bill amid the Covid-19 pandemic on August 4, 2020 in Las Vegas. – Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP
The difference between excess mortality rates was “greater in counties where vaccination rates were lower”, specify the scientists who were however unable to obtain individual vaccination data.
They add, “Attitudes toward vaccination and reported acceptance of it may have played a role in the severity and trajectory of the pandemic in the United States.”
In March, only 49% of Republicans said they were “very” or “fairly confident” in the safety of Covid-19 vaccines compared to 88% of Democrats, according to a national survey published by the University of South Florida.
“An unvaccinated person is three times more likely to lean Republican than Democrat,” said Liz Hamel, vice president of public opinion and polling research at the Kaiser Family Foundation, on NPR radio in 2021.
A political opinion in the midst of multiple factors
However, various factors that have not been accounted for in this study come into play, and go well beyond political affiliation. The state of health, the origin, the socio-economic status or even health insurance coverage… More than 50 million Americans have not yet received the first vaccine against the coronavirus, note the researchers .
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2023-08-03 14:02:00
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