Old President Trump
Donald Trump’s envoyBiden calls on North Korea to restart nuclear talks Biden’s misconception about COVID tests puts us all at risk on the Jan. 6 committee to look for legislative records MORE he was booed at a rally on Saturday after encouraging his supporters to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Offensive comments were mild.
“I totally believe in your freedoms, yes … but I recommend taking the shots,” Trump said in Alabama, adding that the shots were “good.” Explosions immediately erupted.
The moment was remarkable, given the fierce loyalty of the former president’s base.
Supporters who, as Trump famously pointed out, would vote for him, even if he shot someone on New York’s Fifth Avenue, it seems his endorsement for COVID-19 vaccines was a bridge too far away.
The reaction of the crowd was also a microcosm of the enormous difficulty that public health officials must face in the ongoing effort to reach the approximately 85 million eligible Americans who remain unvaccinated, even as the delta variant sinks.
“Political polarization: the idea that science is valid or not, or the vilification of figures like this Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciPfizer’s full approval triggers new vaccine mandates The perpetual pandemic: politicians won’t let COVID end People who received the J&J vaccine will likely need reinforcement, according to surgeon general MORE – it has its cost, “said Neil Sehgal, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.” And that cost is the shadow of the pandemic. “
The United States is experiencing about 150,000 new cases of COVID-19 each day. These levels of infection have not been seen since the winter peak of the pandemic, from November to the end of January.
In turn, the increase in infections delays the return to normal life, threatens economic recovery, adds to the stress of parents and children as the new school year begins, and potentially creates political problems for President Biden
Joe BidenHouse Democrats vote on budget over Tuesday Biden envoy calls on North Korea to restart nuclear talks., although it encourages Americans to get vaccinated at every opportunity.
The danger to the president is that some voters will end up being guilty, fairly or not, if the promising start to the COVID-19 response comes amid new strains of the virus.
“It’s definitely a potential problem, because the battle against COVID is one of the main ways it’s going to be valued,” said Grant Reeher, a professor of political science at Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
But Biden is not the only politician at risk.
Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis: DeSantis fires back at Associated Press CEO after criticism of press secretary. Another Florida school district will require masks, topping DeSantis ’orders. (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) have emerged as Biden’s main enemies in the matter, opposing masks and vaccine warrants. Both governors have stood firm in these positions, even as COVID-19 cases have risen rapidly in their states – and as Biden has urged them and others with similar positions to “get out of the way”. Abbott himself recently contracted the virus even though he has been completely vaccinated.
The battle entered a new phase on Monday, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully approved the Pfizer vaccine.
The decision was a catalyst for a new set of vaccine needs. The Pentagon will order vaccines for the approximately 1.4 million active members of the military. New York City has announced that all teachers and employees in its public school system (the largest in the country) will also need to be vaccinated.
The FDA measure sparked some predictable comments from other areas. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Marjorie Taylor GreeneGOP’s efforts to minimize the danger of Capitol riots raise the note: what about anti-Trump Republicans now? Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will meet with Trump “soon” in Florida MORE (R-Ga.), In keeping with his penchant for judicial controversy, called the decision “questionable” at a news conference. according to a journalist. “I wonder if Joe Biden himself made that call?”
The vaccination rate has increased recently. The latest figures indicate that around 900,000 shots are being fired daily. But even so, it accounts for only about a third of the vaccinations that took place in the spring.
Still, public health experts like Sehgal point to the recent rise as proof that not everything is pain and gloom. He attributed the increase in vaccines not only to worrying about the delta variant, but also to the effectiveness of some public health messages.
“You can divide society into three groups: people who were very excited about getting vaccinated and who have been; people who are very opposed to getting vaccinated; and then the middle group who are convincing. The convincing group is convinced.”
The persuasion process includes carrots and sticks. Some states have offered incentives to get vaccinated. In May, Biden supported an Uber and Lyft program to offer free trips to vaccination sites.
On Monday, following the FDA decision, Biden encouraged companies to tighten their vaccination requirements.
“Today I call on more private sector companies to step up vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people,” Biden said. “If you are a business leader, a non-profit leader, a state or local leader who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccines, I ask you now to do so.”
But this, in turn, is sure to provoke a backlash from the libertarian right, complaining of an infringement of individual rights.
The bottom line is that the virus is not going anywhere. Nor is the political polarization that has fueled its spread.
“The whole situation shows how powerful polarization is,” Reeher said. “You’d think that if something was able to evict him, it would be something that involved health, life or death, directly. And even that doesn’t seem to be able to evict him.”
The Memo is a column reported by Niall Stanage.