Letter to the Editor: Fear or smart?

I think it is ironic that so many of the people decline getting a vaccination because they don’t trust the government or partisan attitudes. The Trump vaccine, yes it was developed under “warp speed” is used more by the liberal more than the conservative.

In October, 25 out of every 100,000 residents of heavily Trump counties died from Covid, more than three times higher than the rate in heavily Biden counties (7.8 per 100,000). October was the fifth consecutive month that the percentage gap between the death rates in Trump counties and Biden counties widened. The gap stems that the vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing severe Covid, and almost 40 percent of Republican adults remain unvaccinated, compared with about 10 percent of Democratic adults.

The gap is also evident at finer graduations of political analysis: counties where Tump received at least 70 percent of the vote have an even higher average Covid death toll than counties where Trump won at least 60 percent. In December, 150,00 have died, this situation is a tragedy, in which irrational fears about vaccine side effects have overwhelmed rational fears about a deadly virus.

It stems from disinformation—promoted by right-wing media, like Fox News, the Sinclair Broadcast Group and online sources-that preys on the distrust that results from stagnant living standards. (Tucker Carlson has received the shot) Vaccination is a small sacrifice in the fight against Covid, a disease that is still killing 1,300 Americans a day.

Duane Vander Veen

Graeagle