Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates.

FreeinChrist

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Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates. Misinformation is to blame

Since May 2021, people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump during the last presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as those who live in areas that went for now-President Biden. That's according to a new analysis by NPR that examines how political polarization and misinformation are driving a significant share of the deaths in the pandemic.

NPR looked at deaths per 100,000 people in roughly 3,000 counties across the U.S. from May 2021, the point at which vaccinations widely became available. People living in counties that went 60% or higher for Trump in November 2020 had 2.7 times the death rates of those that went for Biden. Counties with an even higher share of the vote for Trump saw higher COVID-19 mortality rates.

In October, the reddest tenth of the country saw death rates that were six times higher than the bluest tenth, according to Charles Gaba, an independent health care analyst who's been tracking partisanship trends during the pandemic and helped to review NPR's methodology. Those numbers have dropped slightly in recent weeks, Gaba says: "It's back down to around 5.5 times higher."

.....Misinformation appears to be a major factor in the lagging vaccination rates. The Kaiser Family Foundation's polling shows Republicans are far more likely to believe false statements about COVID-19 and vaccines. A full 94% of Republicans think one or more false statements about COVID-19 and vaccines might be true, and 46% believe four or more statements might be true. By contrast, only 14% of Democrats believe four or more false statements about the disease.
That is sad, imho
 

Hazelelponi

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When COVID first came to this country it was major cities that were hardest hit. Blue.

So it's in the countryside now... rather to be expected.

Not really seeing the point of the thread other than to complain about republicans.
 
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Pommer

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When COVID first came to this country it was major cities that were hardest hit. Blue.

So it's in the countryside now... rather to be expected.

Not really seeing the point of the thread other than to complain about republicans.
Or mourn them?
 
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pescador

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You quoted NPR. clearly liberal bias site. try something in the middle of the road

Why? Will that change the facts? Or is that just the province of the right-wing propaganda new sources?
 
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Landon Caeli

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I wonder if there is a different level of *respect* for science in general between those on the left, and those on the right. Because realistically, different areas of thought, such as science, politics, religion, philosophy, art - they might be prioritized differently in different individuals. And so maybe the collective priorities of the left in general differ slightly than the collective priorities of the right do, in general.

...And so people pick and choose information sources that align closest to their own personal priorities.
 
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Halbhh

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You quoted NPR. clearly liberal bias site. try something in the middle of the road


In reality, they report of lot of just factual news without any particular viewpoint, like for instance, NPR has been reporting a lot about inflation recently, which of course makes Biden and Democratic spending look like it may be increasing inflation.

That's from NPR.
(and the same from PBS: they tend to ask to paraphrase: "Can the government spend this much money -- isn't it causing inflation?"

That makes NPR look conservative. But they aren't really in any one corner.

Also there will often be a wide variety of people giving their viewpoints, commentary stuff, which is from across the spectrum of viewpoints and ideas.

Voices from many viewpoints.

Including a lot of Christian voices.

On NPR.


It's pretty much just America, fairly well represented.

Not from any one side.
 
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Adventist Heretic

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Why? Will that change the facts? Or is that just the province of the right-wing propaganda new sources?
no, but it will change how they interpret them, what they report and what they leave out. let me give you an example

Reported Fact"

vaccine compliance is highest amount the college educated Bachlors & Master degrees.

This is true. what is implied here is that those how are smart get the vaccine and high school, uneducated and stupid don't. it is due to ignorance. What they don't tell you is that the highest educated class, PHD, reject the vaccine in higher numbers then the, High school level. so how are we to interpret that?

Well another way to look at is is those who are not forced to take the vaccine don't and those who are more afraid of loosing their jobs do.

Same facts different interpretation.
 
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Halbhh

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Northern states get less sun than southern states. That means less vitamin d. Not sure your point. Southern people should have greater resistance to Covid, with all that sun.

I lived in a South a lot...so I'm not just guessing when I say that most people in the South during the summer when the huge Covid surges hit the South would not spend the hours a day in the strong midday sun it would take to get the optimum vitamin D (which is equivalent to taking 4,000 iu/day for an adult).

Some would be out in the sun, but a majority would not be out in the sun during those hours (10a-6p). You'd get some with great levels of vitamin D, but many without great levels.
 
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Larniavc

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Some would be out in the sun, but a majority would not be out in the sun during those hours (10a-6p). You'd get some with great levels of vitamin D, but many without great levels.
Thank you. Good observation rendering Tim’s post about vitamin d trivially incorrect.
 
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Landon Caeli

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This is just out of the blue, and as always, I'm just trying to get to the root of the problem, but is it possible that blue-States are more inclined to be more progressive and have a tendency to lean toward the sciences..? And the red states, being more conservative tend to lean toward politics and history, as their collective focus, being more cautious..?

And then with that, we can see why these statistics mentioned in the OP make sense?

(Sorry, I know my conversations aren't typical)
 
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Hazelelponi

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This is just out of the blue, and as always, I'm just trying to get to the root of the problem, but is it possible that blue-States are more inclined to be more progressive and have a tendency to lean toward the sciences..? And the red states, being more conservative tend to lean toward politics and history, as their collective focus, being more cautious..?

And then with that, we can see why these statistics mentioned in the OP make sense?

(Sorry, I know my conversations aren't typical)

You keep talking about those who "trust the science" but it's not trust they display, it's blind faith and total obedience.

I've never in my life time seen anything even remotely comparable.

When a person is diagnosed with cancer they, being a thoughtful and educated person, get a second opinion and then contemplate how best to move forward. Some even go so far as to get a third opinion and no one says boo about it.

The cancer patient trusts the medical community, but knows that within that community there are differences of opinion, or some with more knowledge and ability than others.

Science doesn't mind questions, it lives on them. Science is also proving through falsification...

Three drug companies very recently had a boxed warning and new prescribing parameters put on arthritis drugs that had long been FDA approved... Pfizer for one made billions off theirs just last year... Yet now it's determined to be unsafe enough to put a warning on and have it only be prescribed now in very limited circumstances.

People don't think, watch and wait anymore, they are eating all they are fed without question.

That's blind faith, not merely trusting in science. I trust science, but I also know it's not the be all end all .. we are all only human after all.

And if we are Christian, we have our ultimate faith and trust in God.

As I write this I have COVID-19, and I'm not vaccinated. (The only people I've been around were all vaccinated btw) But God knows the number to every hair on my head, and not even a sparrow dies without Him... So I fear not, for all my trust is ultimately in Him.

They are coming out, hopefully soon after the first of the year, protein subunit vaccines that will likely be attractive to those who want a regular vaccine, instead of what's on offer right now.

By the way, I'm totally asymptomatic, but I'd feel the same even if I was actually sick.
 
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FreeinChrist

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When COVID first came to this country it was major cities that were hardest hit. Blue.

So it's in the countryside now... rather to be expected.

Not really seeing the point of the thread other than to complain about republicans.
Blue cities were affected initially because they were border cities, or where lots of international travelors came in. But that was over a year ago.
When it comes to the Delta variant, the more Republican counties are dong worse.
 
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FreeinChrist

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You quoted NPR. clearly liberal bias site. try something in the middle of the road
NPR is middle of the road. It isn't liberal. The numbers determined the outcome of the study, not bias.
 
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essentialsaltes

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You keep talking about those who "trust the science" but it's not trust they display, it's blind faith and total obedience.

Listening to the advice of scientists and public health authorities is not 'blind faith and total obedience'.

Even if it were, the proof is in the pudding, and the people who are rejecting this expert advice are dying at higher rates.
 
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FreeinChrist

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About a few things....

You keep talking about those who "trust the science" but it's not trust they display, it's blind faith and total obedience.

No, it is science. It is those who make unsupported nonsensical claims with lots of derogatory comments about the others that go with blind faith.


....Science doesn't mind questions, it lives on them. Science is also proving through falsification...

Three drug companies very recently had a boxed warning and new prescribing parameters put on arthritis drugs that had long been FDA approved... Pfizer for one made billions off t[heirs just last year... Yet now it's determined to be unsafe enough to put a warning on and have it only be prescribed now in very limited circumstances.

People don't think, watch and wait anymore, they are eating all they are fed without question.
That really isn't on topic. When negative generalizations are stated with no way to support them, I write the opinion off. Lots of folks question everything and do ACTUAL research, reading the studies, as opposed to believing nonsense by a doctor who thinks gynecological problems are from sleeping with demons in your dreams. Or as opposed to trusting someone who encourages medicines shown by science to not work for Covid.

That's blind faith, not merely trusting in science. I trust science, but I also know it's not the be all end all .. we are all only human after all.

And if we are Christian, we have our ultimate faith and trust in God.

Yep, but even a Christian will fall to their death if they jump or fall off a tall cliff. God does't swoop in an rescue the person. God gave us brains, and studies using good science support vaccines.

As I write this I have COVID-19, and I'm not vaccinated. (The only people I've been around were all vaccinated btw) But God knows the number to every hair on my head, and not even a sparrow dies without Him... So I fear not, for all my trust is ultimately in Him.

They are coming out, hopefully soon after the first of the year, protein subunit vaccines that will likely be attractive to those who want a regular vaccine, instead of what's on offer right now.

By the way, I'm totally asymptomatic, but I'd feel the same even if I was actually sick.
Glad you are doing okay, but deaths from Covid in the US alone are 787,000 and many others were left needing oxygen or had lung transplants or other long term problem.
 
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CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN

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When COVID first came to this country it was major cities that were hardest hit. Blue.
There's a lot of Trump fans in blue states. That refuse to wear a mask and social distance. When Blue states were trying to keep people safe. They seem to keep COVID-19 alive. Everyone I know that had it in CA. Were Trump fans and right-wing news programing. Yes, they are trying very hard to keep COVID-19 and its variants thriving.

So it's in the countryside now... rather to be expected.
There's no excuse for them to be getting COVID-19 at all. They were warned and listened to false information. Now they pay the price for no good excuse.

Not really seeing the point of the thread other than to complain about republicans.
No, not all Republicans believe all the lies coming from Trump and extreme right news programs. And COVID-19 has nothing to do with why I'm more Democrat.
 
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Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates. Misinformation is to blame

Since May 2021, people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump during the last presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as those who live in areas that went for now-President Biden. That's according to a new analysis by NPR that examines how political polarization and misinformation are driving a significant share of the deaths in the pandemic.

NPR looked at deaths per 100,000 people in roughly 3,000 counties across the U.S. from May 2021, the point at which vaccinations widely became available. People living in counties that went 60% or higher for Trump in November 2020 had 2.7 times the death rates of those that went for Biden. Counties with an even higher share of the vote for Trump saw higher COVID-19 mortality rates.

In October, the reddest tenth of the country saw death rates that were six times higher than the bluest tenth, according to Charles Gaba, an independent health care analyst who's been tracking partisanship trends during the pandemic and helped to review NPR's methodology. Those numbers have dropped slightly in recent weeks, Gaba says: "It's back down to around 5.5 times higher."

.....Misinformation appears to be a major factor in the lagging vaccination rates. The Kaiser Family Foundation's polling shows Republicans are far more likely to believe false statements about COVID-19 and vaccines. A full 94% of Republicans think one or more false statements about COVID-19 and vaccines might be true, and 46% believe four or more statements might be true. By contrast, only 14% of Democrats believe four or more false statements about the disease.
That is sad, imho
How and why did Covid-19 become a political issue?

Politicians know next to nothing about viruses.

The only source for information that anyone should seek, is from the medical professionals.

The last place anyone should turn to for information about Covid-19, is a a social media site.
 
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