People Living In Pro-Trump Counties More Likely To Die From Covid, Study Finds

Topline

People living in counties that voted Republican in the 2020 presidential election were more likely to die from Covid-19 than those living in counties that voted Democrat, according to a study published in Health Affairs on Monday, underscoring the effects of a partisan response to the pandemic as officials move to counter another surge in cases.

Key Facts

Counties where 70% or more voted Republican had nearly 73 more Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 people than Democratic ones (where less than 30% voted Republican), according to the peer reviewed analysis of Covid-19 deaths through October 2021 and counties’ voting behavior.

The figures take into account other factors linked to Covid-19 mortality like ethnicity, access to healthcare, age and chronic diseases.

Disparate mortality rates are likely due to structural, policy and behavioral differences in more conservative counties, the researchers said.

Senior author Dylan Roby, an associate professor of health, society and behavior at the University of California, Irvine, suggested the county-level voting patterns likely mirrored compliance with protective measures introduced to help curb the pandemic such as mask mandates and getting vaccinated.

The disparity highlights the shortcomings of a “vaccine-only approach to public health,” said study author Neil Sehgal, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Maryland, adding that vaccine uptake accounted for just 10% of the difference in mortality rates between red and blue counties.

Crucial Quote

“The impact of partisanship doesn’t only impact people of one political stripe,” Sehgal said. “Not everyone who lives in a Republican county votes Republican… Even in the reddest counties, you have people who aren’t able to vote or aren’t able to leave, and yet are subject to the policies and behaviors that surround them.”

Key Background

From the very beginning, Covid-19 has been a political force in the U.S. Polling has consistently shown Republicans to be more likely to question and oppose public health measures implemented to curb Covid-19 and less likely to get vaccinated. Leading Republican politicians—including governors of Florida and Texas—rejected or hesitated over proven public health measures like masks and vaccines but embraced unproven treatments and favored lifting restrictions as early as possible. Former President Donald Trump downplayed the dangers of the pandemic, touted bogus treatments like bleach and exemplified the often highly politicized misinformation surrounding coronavirus. Overall, Covid-19 has been deadlier in Republican states and less deadly in those leaning Democrat, with eight of the 10 states with the highest per capita death rates leaning Republican.

Big Number

118,530. That’s the seven-day rolling average of new daily Covid infections in the U.S. from Friday, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University. It’s the biggest surge of new cases since mid February.

Further Reading

By The Numbers: Who’s Refusing Covid Vaccinations—And Why (Forbes)

Here Are The Republicans Most Likely To Refuse The Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds (Forbes)

Here Is What One Million Covid Deaths In The U.S. Looks Like (Forbes)

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