President Biden’s July 4th goal of having 70 percent of American adults getting at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is quickly approaching and more than likely, will not be achieved. As of Tuesday, ’64 percent of U.S. adults have had at least one shot, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.’
The main reason why President Biden will more than likely not reach his goal is because ‘the number of doses being administered daily is on a steep decline from the early April peak.’ But like the virus itself, the vaccines have also been politicized. States with the highest vaccination rates voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
According to NPR, there are a few things to note:
- There’s a huge political divide. Speaking over the weekend, former President Donald Trump took credit for the vaccine rollout and told a North Carolina crowd of supporters that “most of you” have likely been vaccinated.
- But surveys have shown Trump supporters are the least likely to say they have been vaccinated or plan to. Remember, Trump got vaccinated before leaving the White House, but that was reported months later. Unlike other public officials who were trying to encourage people to get the shot, Trump did it in private.
- The top 22 states (including D.C.) with the highest adult vaccination rates all went to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
- Some of the least vaccinated states are the most pro-Trump. Trump won 17 of the 18 states with the lowest adult vaccination rates. Many of these states have high proportions of whites without college degrees.
NPR also points out the non-political reasons why Americans aren’t getting their jabs:
- Black Americans overwhelmingly voted for President Biden and other Democratic candidates but are not getting vaccinated at the rate of whites. ‘Less than a quarter of Black Americans had gotten at lease {sic} one vaccine dose as of Tuesday, according to the CDC. It’s the lowest of any racial or ethnic group listed.’
- Black Americans make up a sizeable percentage of the population in seven of 10 states with the lowest adult vaccination rates: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina and Georgia.
- Young people, who tend to also vote for Democratic candidates, also have demonstrated hesitancy compared to older Americans. ‘More than 80% of people over 65 have gotten at least one shot, compared to just 45% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 51% of those 25 to 39.‘
