Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Partisan Chasm Over Covid Shots Risks National Turnaround
The Hill: Risks Rise As Vaccination Gap With Trump Counties Grows Wider
A stark divide in the vaccination rates of blue and red states has grown more prominent in recent months, imperiling a full national recovery. While a partisan divide fueled in large part by former President Trump has been a defining characteristic of COVID-19 in the United States, the gap is becoming more worrisome once again with the deadly delta variant. (Weixel, 7/6)
The Washington Post: A Third Of White Conservatives Refuse To Get Vaccinated — A Refusal Shown In Polling And The Real World
Two elected officials have weighed in over the past several days on the effort to vaccinate as many Americans as possible. The first was President Biden. During a July 4 speech at the White House, he again encouraged the country to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, referring to covid-19, the disease it causes. ... The second official to offer thoughts was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who weighed in on Twitter. (Bump, 7/6)
The Hill: McConnell Pushes COVID-19 Vaccines Amid Delta Variant Worries
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday pushed for more Americans to get vaccinated amid growing concerns about the delta coronavirus variant. "There's no good reason not to get vaccinated. We need to finish the job. And I know there's some skepticism out there, but let me put it his way: It may not guarantee you don't get it but it almost guarantees you don't die from it if you get it," McConnell said at an event in Kentucky. (Carney, 7/6)
Also —
KHN: As Covid Vaccinations Slow, Parts Of The US Remain Far Behind 70% Goal
July Fourth was not the celebration President Joe Biden had hoped for, as far as protecting more Americans with a coronavirus vaccine. The nation fell just short of the White House’s goal to give at least a first dose to 70% of adults by Independence Day. By that day, 67% of adult Americans had gotten either the first shot of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If children ages 12-17, who are now eligible for the Pfizer product, are included, the national percentage of those who have gotten at least one shot is 64%. (Bebinger and Farmer, 7/7)
