Republican Governors’ Conspiracy Theories and Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric Are Directly Contributing to Vaccine Hesitancy and COVID Case Spikes
As of July 16, COVID cases in the U.S. are rising in all 50 states for the first time since January, but the surge in cases is being led by Republican-governed states with low vaccination rates, creating a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” Last week, an ABC News analysis confirmed that states that have fully vaccinated less than 50 percent of their total population reported average case rates three times higher than states that have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents. With the highly-contagious Delta variant on the rise, unvaccinated people of all ages are becoming seriously ill and dying from the virus as many Republican governors are actively undermining vaccination efforts.
Instead of working to end the pandemic, Republican governors are also attacking public health experts and downplaying the severity of the latest surge in cases. This dangerous rhetoric guarantees that more people will die and the pandemic will be with us for even longer. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“Once again, we are seeing hospitals become overwhelmed and more Americans dying from this devastating disease. The only difference now is that 95 percent of severe COVID cases are preventable. Republican governors should be doing everything in their power to get shots in arms and put an end to this crisis, but they are committed to putting their loyalty to Fox News and former President Trump above the American people. Shame on them.”
- Tennessee: Only 38 percent of the population of Tennessee is fully vaccinated and new daily cases of Covid-19 in the state have more than doubled since last month while the state’s Republican leaders wage relentless war on vaccination. The state vaccine coordinator was fired because she was simply encouraging young people to get vaccinated and the Tennessee Department of Health has halted all vaccine outreach to teenagers — not just for COVID-19 — amid pressure from Republican lawmakers. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn has also doubled down on anti-vaccine propaganda, falsely tweeting to her constituents that the Biden administration is “sending agents to your door to compel vaccination.”
- Missouri: Less than half of Missouri residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, but as the state faces one of the deadliest surges of the delta variant in the nation and overwhelmed ICUs, Governor Mike Parson has responded by cautioning health care leaders against trying to “scare” people into getting vaccinated, arguing the state is “not in crisis mode.”
- Florida: One in five new cases of Covid-19 in the US are now happening in Florida alone, but Governor Ron DeSantis has been spending his time attacking trusted public health leaders for political gain and blocking cruise lines and schools from operating safely in his state.
- South Dakota: Few states have suffered more than South Dakota during the pandemic, but with her eyes on a 2024 campaign Governor Kristi Noem continues to brag about her refusal to implement measures to mitigate the pandemic and keep her constituents safe, or even record a simple PSA encouraging vaccination.
- Texas: Only 42.6 percent of Texans are vaccinated and cases are surging in Austin and other areas, but Governor Greg Abbott has hobbled the ability to respond by banning local mitigation measures and forbidding governments, schools, and businesses from requiring proof of vaccination.