Thursday, 12 Jun 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > Trending > Red Covid, an Update
Trending

Red Covid, an Update

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Red Covid, an Update
SHARE

Ocean County, in central New Jersey, is a mixture of beach towns like Barnegat Light and exurban towns like Toms River and Lakewood. Household income in the county exceeds the U.S. average.

Yet Ocean County is among the least vaccinated places in the Northeast. Only 53 percent of residents have received at least two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine (or one dose of Johnson & Johnson). Only 26 percent have received a booster shot.

The large number of unvaccinated residents in Ocean County has led to a horrific amount of Covid illness and death. Nearly one out of every 200 residents has died from the virus. That is worse than the toll in Mississippi, the U.S. state with the largest amount of Covid death per capita, and worse than in any country except for Peru.

What explains the vaccine skepticism in Ocean County? Politics, above all. The county is heavily Republican. Donald Trump won it by almost 30 percentage points in 2020, and many Republicans — including those who are older than 65 and vulnerable to severe Covid illness — are skeptical of the vaccines.

This partisan divide has led to the “red Covid” phenomenon that I have described in previous newsletters. Today, I have an update.

Blue, then red

First, some background: In the pandemic’s initial months, Covid cases and deaths were higher in Democratic areas, probably because they are home to several major international airports. The virus entered this country on the West Coast and in the Northeast. But it didn’t stay there. By the end of Covid’s first year in the U.S., the virus had swept across the country, and there was no significant partisan divide in deaths.

Only after the vaccines became widely available, in early 2021 — and liberals were much more willing to get shots than conservatives — did Covid become a disproportionately Republican illness. By the summer of 2021, the gap was soaring:

As the chart makes clear, the toll has been even worse in counties where Trump won by a landslide than in counties that he won narrowly.

This phenomenon is an example of how the country’s political polarization has warped people’s thinking, even when their personal safety is at stake. It is a tragedy — and a preventable one, too.

A new study by four Harvard epidemiologists estimates that 135,000 unvaccinated Americans died unnecessarily in the last six months of last year. The Texas Tribune recently profiled a young unvaccinated couple: She spent 139 days in intensive care; he asked, “Was this my fault?” They have both since been vaccinated.

Natural immunity

There is one big new development. When I last wrote about red Covid, in November, I told you that the month-to-month partisan mortality gap might be peaking, for two main reasons.

One, the availability of highly effective post-infection treatments, like Pfizer’s Paxlovid, has been expanding; if they reduce deaths, the drop may be steepest where the toll is highest. Two, red America has probably built up more natural immunity to Covid — from prior infections — than blue America, given that many Democrats have tried harder to avoid getting the virus.

Sure enough, the partisan gap in Covid deaths is no longer growing as fast it had been, as you can see from the new closeness among these lines:

During the Omicron wave, deaths have risen less in red counties than in blue or purple counties. The most likely explanation seems to be that the number of Trump voters vulnerable to severe illness — which was still very large earlier last year — has declined, because more of them have built up some immunity to Covid from a previous infection.

But don’t make the mistake of confusing a gap that’s no longer growing as rapidly as it was with a gap that is shrinking. The gap between red and blue America — in terms of cumulative Covid deaths — is still growing. The red line in that second chart is higher than the blue line, which is a sign that more Republicans than Democrats or independents have needlessly died of Covid in recent weeks.

Another point to remember: Even in deeply blue counties, an outsize number of deaths are occurring among people who are unvaccinated or unboosted. The vaccines offer incredible protection from a deadly virus, yet many Americans have chosen to leave themselves exposed.

Related: Vaccinating and boosting more elderly people is probably the single best strategy for reducing deaths, The Atlantic’s Sarah Zhang writes. One way to do so: Increase Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals that make progress.

Virus developments:

  • California laid out a plan to treat Covid as a manageable risk that “will remain with us for some time, if not forever.”

  • This moment feels particularly hard for immunocompromised people. “It’s like living behind a veil.”

THE LATEST NEWS

Ukraine-Russia

The mood in fashion

In recent years, “a certain polite, well-behaved-ness had become a defining characteristic of New York fashion,” Vanessa Friedman writes. This fashion week, which wrapped on Wednesday, welcomed a more “anarchic creative energy.”

Shayne Oliver’s three-day extravaganza featured loads of straps and skin. “The point was less the actual garments than the energy they generated,” Friedman writes. “They were going somewhere, and not just in circles.”

Other standout moments: Julia Fox opened the LaQuan Smith show — fresh from her breakup with Kanye West — in a slinky cutout dress, and the groundbreaking Black supermodels Beverly Johnson and Veronica Webb glided down the ’80s-flavored Sergio Hudson runway. Telfar put on a “happening,” mixing branded TV projects with fashion.

So what does the new era of New York fashion look like? Look to Eckhaus Latta, which held its show in an old downtown Manhattan building now scheduled for demolition. The show’s mood was celebratory; friends and family walked the runway, and the clothes maintained “a singular crafty intelligence that avoids easy categorization.” A poem was handed out: “The future is people walking down the street laughing.” — Sanam Yar, a Morning writer

The pangram from yesterday’s Spelling Bee was celibacy. Here is today’s puzzle — or you can play online.

Here’s today’s Wordle. (If you’re worried about your stats streak, play in the browser you’ve been using.)

TAGGED:Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)Deaths (Fatalities)Democratic PartyDisease Ratesinternal-storyline-noRepublican PartyThe Washington MailUnited StatesUnited States Politics and GovernmentVaccination and Immunization
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Hoping for peace: Italian craftsman claims Putin’s table Hoping for peace: Italian craftsman claims Putin’s table
Next Article Ukraine-Russia crisis: What to know as tension grinds on Ukraine-Russia crisis: What to know as tension grinds on

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Lebanon reaches tentative deal with IMF on economic policies

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund on Thursday reached a tentative agreement…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Liam Payne’s Ultimate Track Launch Date Postponed, Out of Respect to Household

Sam Kilos, who collaborated with Liam Payne on the singer's remaining single, has determined to…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Firebelly x Good Chaos: How an Ongoing Partnership Influenced a Joyful Identification

Liz’s work immediately dazzled and lit up my design mind… My eyes adopted the sides…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Hot Springs in the U.S.: Medicinal, Perhaps. Relaxing? Definitely.

Looking to hot springs hop, perhaps with some spa services on the side? Visit a…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Rediscovering America’s Heart in Dreams from Our Fathers
LifestyleTrending

Rediscovering America’s Heart in Dreams from Our Fathers

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
India Creates History by Turning Love for Mothers into Record-Breaking Environmental Action
TrendingWorld

India Creates History by Turning Love for Mothers into Record-Breaking Environmental Action

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Tenvil Mackenson: Rebuilding Haiti, Brick by Brick
LifestyleTrending

Tenvil Mackenson: Rebuilding Haiti, Brick by Brick

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Finding Voice Through Silence: The Story of OR GOLAN
LifestyleTrending

Finding Voice Through Silence: The Story of OR GOLAN

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?