Texas Gov. Dan Patrick (R) is under fire for a Thursday night appearance on Fox News, where he claimed that African Americans who have not been vaccinated against coronavirus are the reason for the increase in COVID-19 infections worldwide. nation.
Fox News Laura Ingraham
Laura Anne IngrahamPsaki says Biden administrator “needs” Fox News to fight vaccine misinformation. Biden walks well with Fox News. asked Patrick during his prime-time program to share his views on Democrats’ criticism of his state’s management of raising infection rates, and noted Governor Greg Abbott’s ban (R) masks in schools).
“Democrats like to blame Republicans for that,” Patrick replied. “Well, the largest group in most states is African Americans who have not been vaccinated. The last time I checked it, more than 90% of them were voting for Democrats in their major cities and major counties. “
Texas Gov. Dan Patrick blames unvaccinated blacks for spreading Covid to state pic.twitter.com/CfwajqECLM
– Aaron Rupar (atrupar) August 20, 2021
A clip of the exchange posted on social media garnered nearly 1.5 million views and more than 4,000 responses, and many Twitter users shared their outrage.
Mayor of Houston Sylvester TurnerSylvester Turner: Climate mayors are rebuilding better again – now Congress has to act with an earthquake: black candidates accumulate city victories. The business opposition has not moved the needle in the fight for voting rights; sports can MORE responded to Patrick’s statements in a tweet Friday.
The lieutenant governor’s statements are offensive and should not be ignored. c
– Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) August 20, 2021
The Hill has contacted Patrick’s office for comment.
Although vaccination rates among black Texas remain relatively low, according to state data, the highest rates of coronavirus infections in the state have been reported for white and Hispanic individuals. Non-Hispanic whites are reported to account for nearly 35% of coronavirus cases, while Hispanics account for approximately 35.8% of cases in the state.
“Making a statement blaming a racial or ethnic minority for the spread of the disease is a well-known racist trope that predates most of us,” Jorge Caballero, a former instructor at the Washington Medical School, told the Washington Post. Stanford University. . “People are already hurt by this virus and it makes absolutely no sense for us to add insult to injury.”
Texas has reported that nearly 46 percent of its population is completely vaccinated, according to the Post.