The good news is that new coronavirus cases are dropping, on average, nationwide, but the bad news is that eight U.S. states have seen an increase of positive COVID-19 test results — and Utah is one of them.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, the Beehive State, along with Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Missouri, Nevada, Texas and Wyoming, have reported a hike in their seven-day average of coronavirus cases, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
- Seven of those states — minus Hawaii, where 55% of the population is vaccinated — have vaccination rates below the national average of 43.7%, according to the AP, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- The states with the lowest average number of pandemic cases have a higher than average percent of their populations vaccinated, reported the AP.
Partisan divide in vaccines still stings
According to a recent CBS News poll, more and and more Americans say they’re more comfortable going out in public than they were this spring. This overall feeling of social freedom was true for those who had, and hadn’t, been vaccinated, according to CBS News.
The poll also found that political divides are a leading marker for who have, and who won’t, get the COVID-19 vaccine.
- CBS News reported 77% of Democrats said they’d been “fully of partially vaccinated,” while 52% of Republicans reported they’d had at least one coronavirus vaccine shot.
- CBS News also said 29% of Republicans said they “will not get vaccinated,” while 5% of Democrats said they’d pass on the vaccine.
Seth Masket, a University of Denver political science professor, said on Twitter that there is strong correlation between states that supported Joe Biden for president in the 2020 election and who are now reporting higher numbers of vaccinated residents.
- “Correlation of Biden vote share and adult COVID vaccination rate is now at .847 (CDC data),” Masket wrote in a Twitter thread which also featured a line graph that compared state vaccination rates with the share of Biden voters.
- “And yes, there are substantial ecological inference problems here. However, the state vaccination rate is not irrelevant given that these policies are being largely set and administered at the state level,” Masket added for context.