What's Driving The Political Divide Over Vaccinations
People hold signs as several hundred anti-mandate demonstrators rally outside the Capitol during a special legislative session considering bills targeting COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Tallahassee, Florida. Rebecca Blackwell/AP hide caption
People hold signs as several hundred anti-mandate demonstrators rally outside the Capitol during a special legislative session considering bills targeting COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Tallahassee, Florida.
Rebecca Blackwell/APAn NPR analysis shows that since the vaccine rollout, counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump have had nearly three times the COVID mortality rates of those that voted for Joe Biden. That difference appears to be driven by a partisan divide in vaccination rates. As NPR correspondent Geoff Brumfield reports, political polarization and misinformation are driving a significant share of the deaths in the pandemic.
Read more of Geoff's reporting on vaccine misinformation:
- Inside the growing alliance between anti-vaccine activists and pro-Trump Republicans
- Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates. Misinformation is to blame
This episode was edited by Sara Sarasohn, produced by Rebecca Ramirez and fact-checked by Rasha Aridi.