Thread by @latimes

The U.S. reached a milestone this week: 70% of adults have at least one vaccine dose.

But few are celebrating, as the Delta variant surges across the nation and vaccine initiatives meet resistance in large sections of the conservative South and Midwest.
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After 12-hour grueling shifts of watching COVID-19 patients struggle to breathe, nurse Peyton Thetford leaves the hospital and sees hardly anyone wearing masks or practicing social distancing. latimes.com/world-nation/s…

The split between vaccinated people and people refusing vaccinations follows familiar political fault lines.

Democratic-leaning states in the Northeast lead in vaccinations while staunchly Republican states have the lowest vaccination rates and the steepest increase in cases.

In Alabama, the percentage of white and Black residents getting their first shots is about the same — 32.5% and 33%, respectively, according to Henna Budhwani, assistant professor of public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. latimes.com/world-nation/s…

The highest number of COVID-19 cases are happening in areas with low vaccination rates, according to the CDC.

But one Alabama pharmacist said he started to see a slight uptick in demand for shots.
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Not all Republicans are on the same page about vaccinations.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has urged Americans to get vaccinated, saying last month: “It’s not complicated.” latimes.com/world-nation/s…

In Alabama, where most people remain unvaccinated, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said it’s time for the vaccinated to push back.

“It’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks,” she told reporters. “It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down."