Tennessee’s anti-child vaccination actions

Republicans are to blame for this.

Former Tennessee top vaccine official Dr. Michelle Fiscus says she was fired after an argument over vaccinating children against Covid-19.

Many people and lawmakers are buying “into anti-vaccine rhetoric and conspiracy theory instead of listening to actual science,” she says. pic.twitter.com/QZuQtyWLC8
— New Day (@NewDay) July 13, 2021

“It was MY job to provide vaccine access so Tennesseans could protect themselves against COVID-19.

“I have now been terminated for doing exactly that.”
https://t.co/zbhy5KVqLj
— Bill Grueskin (@BGrueskin) July 13, 2021

SCOOP: Tennessee Department of Health halts all vaccine outreach to kids – not just for COVID-19, but all diseases – amid pressure from GOP. Staff ordered to remove the agency logo from any documents providing vaccine info to the public, per internal dox. https://t.co/PX0Rvpc6Ot
— Brett Kelman (@BrettKelman) July 13, 2021

Tennessee's former top vaccinations official, Dr. Michelle Fiscus, says the state’s elected leaders put politics over the health of children by firing her for her efforts to get more Tennesseans vaccinated. Only 38% of Tennesseans are fully vaccinated. https://t.co/STyWcLQcks
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 14, 2021

Tennessee is halting outreach on all vaccines for adolescents, including for Covid-19 https://t.co/DUdcY4hScP
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 14, 2021

update 7/23

BREAKING: Tennessee will resume nearly all forms of adolescent vaccine advocacy, per state health commissioner. Lots of vaccine outreach was halted this month due to GOP political pressure, prompting a media firestorm. We will publish a story as soon as I, you know, write it.
— Brett Kelman (@BrettKelman) July 23, 2021

Red state/Blue state divide on vaccinations

The highest rates are in states that voted for Biden. Trump and his party’s ignorance and lies has suppressed the totals in states that voted for him. I guess they don’t care if their supporters die of Covid as long as they don’t have to get vaccinated or wear masks. The Trump cult is so selfish. They only care about them, not what would benefit everyone.

Here's a map of the 20 states that reached the 70% vaccination goal. Notice anything? pic.twitter.com/0sOce2USt2
— Nate Lerner (@NathanLerner) July 6, 2021

As of today, 67% of American adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose — short of the Biden White House's goal of 70% by July 4.

But to understand why, you have to look at the vaccination rates by state https://t.co/5lB0YMDLcZ pic.twitter.com/VEEl7KNkNb
— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) July 2, 2021

COVID-19 resurging in these US hotspots (msn.com)

COVID-19 cases are spiking in the U.S., CDC warns (msn.com)

That’s what happens in areas with low vaccination rates – they’re vulnerable

Vaccine Polls update 6/30/21

Large-scale vaccine rejection has consequences beyond the individual: more sickness and death, more families and friends losing loved ones, more use of health care resources on preventable illness, more economic disruption. https://t.co/D2OdSuoS2c
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 6, 2021

43% of unvaccinated Americans say "just don't want to get the vaccine" is a major reason why they haven't gotten vaccinated via new @KFF poll.
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) June 30, 2021

Vaccinated groups via @KFF poll:

86% Democrats
85% over 65 years old
79% college grads
70% women
67% White
65% all Americans
63% Hispanic
61% men
60% Black
59% no college
58% White evangelicals
55% under 30 years old
52% Republicans
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) June 30, 2021

Half of Texas Republicans say they won’t get COVID-19 vaccine, new poll finds

Doing what I can to fix this, but for now it’s hard to imagine something more self-defeating, especially ahead of the delta variant train headed our way https://t.co/6ZFWokTikT
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) June 25, 2021

Likely never get vaccine via new Monmouth poll:

35% conservatives
26% Republicans
25% men
25% no college
22% non-white
21% all Americans
20% white
17% under 35 years old
17% women
14% college grads
11% over 65 years old
6% Democrats
6% liberals
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) June 23, 2021

One in five Americans, 21%, say they will likely never get the coronavirus vaccine via new Monmouth poll just out.
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) June 23, 2021

CBS News poll: Vaccinated or not, Americans venture out

Who is/isn’t getting vaccinated

Data from the CDC shows that less than a third of residents in Alabama and Mississippi are fully vaccinated. Alabama's at 29% and Mississippi is at 32%. C'mon, y'all.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 23, 2021

More 80% of adults over 65 have been vaccinated. That's great.

However, only 38% of Americans age 18 to 29 have been vaccinated.

Younger people are also at risk for #covid19–even those with mild disease can suffer long-lasting health consequences.https://t.co/35jBKDk7Py
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) June 22, 2021

People reluctant to get vaccinated will only listen to those they trust. So the 42% of Republicans who say they will not get vaccinated, or are still deciding, need to hear from Republican leaders. Yet there is mostly silence. This is a massive dereliction of duty. https://t.co/5vsXHwTLIU
— Jonathan Reiner (@JReinerMD) June 14, 2021

A quarter of parents won't let their children get the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a new poll https://t.co/hFFXRKW1KU pic.twitter.com/Fc7UYDWeaz
— Forbes (@Forbes) June 16, 2021

Poll: 46 percent of unvaccinated say they will definitely not get vaccine https://t.co/IY6eIVokEp pic.twitter.com/QlqFrcmujx
— The Hill (@thehill) June 18, 2021

icymi

Which comes closest to your situation: you are not planning to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, or you are planning to receive or have already received a COVID-19 vaccine?

REPUBLICANS
Don't plan to 37%
Plan to/Already 57%

(Quinnipiac U. Poll, 5/18-24/21)
— PollingReport.com (@pollreport) June 18, 2021

(1/2) Black and Native Americans say they're still hesitant to get vaccinated because of discrimination their communities have faced in the healthcare system, a poll on vaccine hesitancy found.

Most would feel more comfortable getting vaccinated by their local doctor.
— Lesley Torres (@lesleyctorres) June 17, 2021

While its certainly not incorrect for the Biden admin to say "Adults over 30 have met the 70% goal, but under 30 have not'–and I get why they went with that more neutral frame–a more honest statement is that nearly all blue states have met the goal whereas zero red states have https://t.co/N5pZSV6V4Y
— Daniel Gilmore (@gilmored85) June 23, 2021

Worth noting how different vaccination rates are around the country, particularly in Northeast (where all states have already hit Biden’s goal) vs. South (which will miss it).

More than 84% of people in Vermont are vaxxed, per Post tracking, versus just 45% in Mississippi. https://t.co/WJSwc6gzRZ
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) June 22, 2021

Thank you @MariaTeresa https://t.co/x7g3mNvsWv
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) June 22, 2021

This is what happens when people don’t get vaccinated:

Right on cue… #DeltaVariant has arrived in the low #Vaccination states of America 🇺🇸 and setting off sharp increases in #COVID19 cases again. If only epidemiologists had been trying to warn… 🧵 pic.twitter.com/HL3BsOCprP
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) June 23, 2021

Low vaccination rates and the COVID-19 rates

It also correlates with the red-blue divide.

MO is listed in this, which isn’t surprising considering our vaccination rates are stagnating (under 40% are fully vaccinated) and mask-wearing — in my anecdotal experience — is largely not happening https://t.co/UFXbGzKlmC
— Zoé (@ztsamudzi) June 22, 2021

Get vaccinated. There is absolutely no reason to not do so at this point. You are needlessly leaving yourself open to risk by not doing so https://t.co/iyOhsl7zTC
— Daniel Gilmore (@gilmored85) June 22, 2021

Only 36% of people in Greene County, MO are partially vaccinated. A hospital CEO tells me they're seeing a six-fold increase in covid cases, patients are younger/sicker, the Delta variant is rampant and vaccine hesitancy is highest among rural, white, and evangelical patients: pic.twitter.com/vX7noFVP2U
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) June 21, 2021

THREAD: How the Delta variant could create "two Americas" of #COVID19 based on vaccine rollout.
1/ It's early days but this fast-spreading variant is expected to become the dominant coronavirus in the US within a matter of weekshttps://t.co/jzL6kUR8uW pic.twitter.com/04khIKdvbz
— Peter Aldhous (@paldhous) June 18, 2021

In the south, there are over 100 counties right now that have less than 20 percent of the residents vaccinated. https://t.co/QzkRIgVJmF
— Norah O'Donnell 🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) June 16, 2021

Correlation of Biden vote share and adult Covid vaccination rate is now at .847. (CDC data) pic.twitter.com/J2hQHKYUIH
— Seth Masket (@smotus) June 14, 2021

A poll shows 25% of Kentucky residents believe vaccines are unsafe: https://t.co/d2HFcaCPfr pic.twitter.com/sE3QpHn0hh
— WDRB News (@WDRBNews) June 22, 2021

. @FLOTUS shields eyes and holds hands with a young middle schooler nervous about the vaccination, clapping when it’s over seconds later. Only 32% of Mississippians have been fully vaccinated, making it among the lowest numbers by state in the country. pic.twitter.com/Z5nmMvVKz5
— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) June 22, 2021

Who's dying now? The unvaccinated.
"Only about 150 of the more than 18,000 #COVID19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people," @AP reportshttps://t.co/aE1nYauJ6d
— David Beard (@dabeard) June 24, 2021

Vaccine stats 6/8/21

All but 1 of the 39 congressional districts where at least 60% of residents have received a vaccine are represented by Democrats.

By contrast, Republicans represent all but 2 of the 30 districts where fewer than one-third of residents are vaccinated. https://t.co/xtrqbgfbL4
— POLITICO (@politico) June 8, 2021

The states where children are getting the Covid-19 vaccine? The same states where adults are getting vaccinated… Correlation is over +0.9. This will only serve to exacerbate the blue/red state gap on vaccinations. https://t.co/Ay5vm0e18V pic.twitter.com/qYu75S64oD
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) May 31, 2021

The Black vaccination rate has outstripped the White vaccination rate in 40 states since early May, according to Bloomberg's vaccine tracker https://t.co/kpdmaqUJGm
— Tara Lachapelle (@taralach) June 4, 2021

The country’s declining covid-19 case rates present an unrealistically optimistic perspective for half of the nation — the half that is still not vaccinated. https://t.co/3EBFmjw1uk
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 22, 2021

Here's what the counties leading the country in vaccinations all have in common. https://t.co/hfh33O2tu8
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 29, 2021

Anti-vaxxers are resisting mandates

The Americans lodging complaints against covid vaccine mandates are diverse, from North Carolina to Wisconsin.

But their resistance is woven together by a common thread: the involvement of a New York law firm closely tied to the anti-vaccine movement. https://t.co/eUZrRjUkvQ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 26, 2021

The claim: Employers, businesses and the government can't mandate COVID-19 vaccines until they've been evaluated for two years. ✅

Our rating: Partly false ❌https://t.co/SQJqURzMH0
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 26, 2021

University of Virginia to mandate coronavirus vaccines for students https://t.co/nosl3fjq3z
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 20, 2021

Why @IndianaUniv decided to mandate the Covid-19 vaccinehttps://t.co/F3yItNp9iI
— R😷ss D. Silverman💉 (@phlu) May 23, 2021

On Friday, IU announced COVID-19 vaccines will be required in the fall. Today, 19 Indiana legislators wrote a letter asking Gov. Holcomb to block the mandate.

More for @idsnews : https://t.co/6zXFXN75bk
— kaity radde (@kaityradde) May 25, 2021

🔑 Takeaways:
Phased reentry to working on campus begins 7/1 thru 9/30
Expect contact tracing, testing & booster vaccinations
COVID-19 vaccine mandate is likely
No plans for furloughs or layoffs
Student convocation & fall classes will be in-person.
— UC Irvine (@UCIrvine) May 20, 2021

Every hospital in the United States should mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees and staff. Most already do this for influenza vaccines. This is a patient safety issue. https://t.co/nAQhKrqKFT
— Jonathan Reiner (@JReinerMD) May 20, 2021

The university is the first in Wisconsin with such a mandate. https://t.co/Fy7BeqiIhQ
— NBC15 News (@nbc15_madison) May 19, 2021

88% of respondents (734 votes) support a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all university employees. pic.twitter.com/o65dXpqXgN
— Denis Wirtz (@deniswirtz) May 20, 2021

Community college students and staff in Virginia will not be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the Virginia Community College System announced today.

The system includes Tidewater Community College.https://t.co/ybZKaxVHeD
— The Virginian-Pilot (@virginianpilot) May 25, 2021

Military vaccination rates are lower

The Navy has become the first branch in the US military to issue service-wide incentives for sailors to get vaccinated against Covid-19, including increased freedom of movement at port calls and the ending of pre-deployment quarantine if vaccinated https://t.co/LZmBIP5pft
— CNN (@CNN) May 24, 2021

Covid-19 vaccine acceptance rates are lower among Black US military service members, military study finds https://t.co/oXtsExJbPy
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 18, 2021

The military sees a Covid-19 vaccine surplus as the usage rate dips https://t.co/A7yyl7IrsW
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 24, 2021

Millions elsewhere are lining up for vaccines. But in the rural West, VA workers are struggling against distrust and misinformation as they try to vaccinate a vulnerable population of Americans. The effort may be a warning for the country. Via @reinlwapo https://t.co/4npWZr7tcy
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 17, 2021

better news:

A 55% jump in vaccines in the US military. https://t.co/GBMck19kL7
— Andy Slavitt (@aslavitt46) May 20, 2021

As more sailors get vaccinated, cases of #COVID19 continue to drop amongst service members in the @USNavy. Continue to #DoYourPart! Let's work to defeat this virus together. https://t.co/sz4k4CUSf6
— Military Health System (@MilitaryHealth) May 21, 2021

Vaccine Polls 5/12/21

I've written about vaccine hesitancy among Republicans, so I am happy to offer this bit of news. https://t.co/4qiFtMazPJ pic.twitter.com/uqQ6TmVH7g
— Philip Bump (@pbump) May 14, 2021

We. Are. Making. Progress. https://t.co/jKkyglTSeM
— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) May 12, 2021

Most Americans support requiring proof they've been vaccinated against COVID-19 before traveling, going to school or going to work. https://t.co/7mUzmaWOxB
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) May 8, 2021

CNN Poll: About a quarter of adults say they won't try to get a Covid-19 vaccine https://t.co/ADF8jPHGsc
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 29, 2021

44% of Republicans say they will not try to get vaccinated via new @CNN poll just out.
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) April 29, 2021

24% of Americans say they probably or definitely won't get a coronavirus vaccine via new ABC/Post poll.
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) April 26, 2021

Selfishness and spite runs through conservatives right to their very core https://t.co/HP3rfQi12X
— Daniel Gilmore (@gilmored85) April 23, 2021

Americans don't trust others' vaccine honesty as country re-emerges https://t.co/3P3HwgeU56
— Axios (@axios) May 25, 2021

Vaccine polls

CNN poll: Republicans remain the group most likely to say that they will not try to get a vaccine.

Almost half of Republicans, 44%, feel that way, compared with 28% of independents and 8% of Democrats.
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) April 29, 2021

22% of Americans say they don't plan to get a vaccine shot against coronavirus via new Fox News poll.
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) April 25, 2021

Somewhat worrying numbers on vaccine hesitancy from the new Axios/Ipsos poll.

56% of US adults say they've gotten at least one vaccine dose already—great!

But there aren't many Americans left who *haven't* gotten vaccinated but plan to do so. Just 14% fall into that category. pic.twitter.com/tACS5m7yFI
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) April 20, 2021

NEW: Vaccine-resistant Republicans say the J&J pause didn’t rattle them. But talk of booster shots scares them off — while fake cards draw them in.

Inside another focus group of vaccine holdouts, as experts rush to craft messages that will reach them.https://t.co/lIkcQFyLqr
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) April 20, 2021

First sign of the J&J hit in the polls https://t.co/ycNmXW3lqv
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) April 15, 2021

54% of people who *have already been vaccinated* are still very or somewhat worried about catching COVID.

But only 29% of people who *refuse to get vaccinated* are very or somewhat worried about catching COVID.

Great job, everyone.https://t.co/U6DN7GCNIg pic.twitter.com/07Eu4v5qqU
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) April 9, 2021

Johnson & Johnson – de Beaumont Foundation