Thread by @TheValuesVoter

The Pfizer Vaccine was authorized by the FDA for emergency use on 12/11/2020. The Moderna Vaccine was authorized by the FDA for emergency use on 12/18/2020.

So we started out 2021 with two vaccines that keep almost everyone who takes them from being hospitalized or dying.

On 2/27/21, the FDA authorized a third vaccine, this one from Johnson and Johnson.

By March 3rd, we had reached an average of 2 million vaccine shots being administered every day, suggesting wide availability.

Not many people had to die from COViD in 2021. But many did.

But there’s a big variance between the states regarding COVID deaths in 2021.

Some states had a LOT larger share of its population die from COVID in 2021 than other states.

And, tragically, these states lie largely along partisan lines.

States that had the most COVID deaths per 100,00 population in 2021 to date (based on 2020 Census):

1) Alabama: 151.03
2) Arizona: 141.49
3) Oklahoma: 139.21
4) Mississippi: 126.74
5) Florida: 114.46
6) Arkansas: 112.27
7) Louisiana: 112.05
8) Nevada: 111.03

9) Georgia: 110.02
10) Kentucky: 109.95

States that had the least COVID deaths per 100,000 population in 2021 to date (2020 Census):

1) Vermont: 22.70
2) Hawaii: 23.02
3) Alaska: 31.77
4) North Dakota: 38.12
5) Washington: 41.87
6) Oregon: 42,39
7) Utah: 42.43
8) Colorado: 43.23
9) Maine: 43.53
10) Minnesota: 44.77

Of the 10 states with the most COVID deaths per capita in 2021 so far, 7 of them voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 Election.

And of the 10 states with the fewest COVID deaths per capita in 2021 so far, 7 of them voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 Election.

Weird. But true.

Let’s look at it another way. Let’s compare the percentage of US 2021 COVID deaths that occurred in a particular state with the percentage of the US population that a state makes up. And let’s see where COVID deaths are way higher or lower than the state’s share of US population.

Highest share of US 2021 COVID deaths compared to share of US 2020 Population:

1) Alabama
1.52% of 2020 US Population
2.52% of 2021 US COVID deaths

2) Arizona
2.16% of 2020 US Population
3.36% of 2021 US COVID deaths

3) Oklahoma
1.19% of 2020 US Population
1.83% of 2021 US COVID deaths

4) Mississippi
0.89% of 2020 US Population
1.25% of 2021 US COVID deaths

5) Florida
6.50% of 2021 US Population
8.20% of 2021 US COVID deaths

6) Arkansas
0.91% of 2021 US Population
1.25% of 2021 US COVID deaths

7) Louisiana
1.41% of 2021 US Population
1.74% of 2021 US COVID deaths

8) Nevada
0.94% of 2020 US Population
1.15% of 2021 US COVID deaths

9) Georgia
3.23% of 2020 US Population
3.92% of 2021 US COVID deaths

10) Kentucky
1.36% of 2020 US Population
1.65% of 2021 US COVID deaths

7 of these 10 states were red states in the 2020 Election.

Lowest share of US 2021 COVID deaths compared to share of the 2020 US Population:

1) Vermont
0.19% of 2020 US Population
0.05% of 2021 US COVID deaths

2) Hawaii
0.44% of 2020 US Population
0.11% of 2021 US COVID deaths

3) Alaska
0.22% of 2020 US Populatioh
0.08% of 2021 US COVID deaths

4) North Dakota
0.24% of 2020 US Population
0.10% of 2021 US COVID deaths

5) Washington
2.32% of 2020 US Population
1.07% of 2021 US COVID deaths

6) Oregon
1.28% of 2020 US Population
0.60% of 2021 US COVID deaths

7) Utah
0.99% of 2020 US Population
0.46% of 2021 US COVID deaths

8) Colorado
1.74% of 2020 US Population
0.83% of 2021 US COVID deaths

9) Maine
0.41% of 2020 US Population
0.20% of 2021 US COVID Deaths

10) Minnesota
1.72% of 2020 US Population
0.85% of 2021 US COVID Deaths

7 of these 10 states went blue in the 2020 Election

All but one of the 10 states with the highest 2021 COVID deaths per Capita (Florida) rank in the bottom half of states with regard to percentage of residents vaccinated. 5 of the 10 rank in the bottom 10 for % vaccinated.

7 of the 10 states with the lowest 2021 COVID deaths per Capita are in the top half of states with regard to percentage of residents vaccinated (North Dakota, Alaska and Utah are the exceptions). 3 of the 10 are in the top 10 for % vaccinated.

But fully vaccinated people are not generally the people who are dying from COVID. The unvaccinated are the ones who are dying. Unnecessarily.

I need to do more study on this (later), but this is the data I dug up so far.

Sources:
github.com/nytimes/covid-…

Census.gov (2020 Census)

mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-co…