Pandemic widening the US divide

More vulnerable

The partisan pattern of COVID-related deaths was not that apparent in the first year, but with the arrival of vaccines, this division is leaving conservative areas more vulnerable to outbreaks and deaths, as these locations tend to have older residents, are less prosperous, and more opposed to mask wearing and vaccines.

Almost 40 percent of Republican adults remain unvaccinated, compared with about 10 percent of Democrat adults, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor in October.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a recent interview with CBS News, "The degree of hesitancy that we are experiencing now with COVID-19 vaccines has a lot to do with ideological persuasion, which is really, completely, unacceptable." He said he did not have a good solution, apart from "getting vaccine requirements".

Hostility to vaccines in the US stems from disinformation. When he was in office, Trump played down the danger of the virus, while other nations took it seriously. With promotion by Trump's allies and right-wing media, public attitudes quickly took hold, further polarizing the pandemic.

Fauci said the situation would have been different if Trump had led in a contrasting way.

"When you have a leadership denying that something is as serious as it is, then you have a real problem. So in that respect, it could have gone differently," he said.

One of the things that "went awry in all of this is this misplaced perception about people's individual right to make a decision that supersedes societal safety," Fauci added.

Republican senators, including Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, have continued to cast doubt on the safety of vaccines and their effectiveness. Two other Republican senators, Ted Cruz of Texas and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, even proposed federal legislation that would block face mask or vaccine mandates, and seven states prohibited local school districts from requiring students and teachers to wear face coverings.

From the presidential election last year to the attempted recall of the Democratic governor of California in September, bitter partisan disagreements exposed by the pandemic are drawing the US further apart.

On Jan 6, pro-Trump extremists stormed the Capitol in Washington, seeking to overturn his defeat in the election. Ahead of the riot, Trump called his supporters to gather in Washington to support his false claim that the election had been "stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats".

The Capitol riot left five dead, including a police officer. About 600 people have been charged with federal crimes in connection with January's violence. Despite a second impeachment, for inciting the insurrection, and widespread condemnation, Trump continues to spread his "stolen election" claim, without any evidence, at Republican rallies. In next year's races for elected office, Republicans eager for Trump's support have embraced these baseless allegations.

The partisan divide in the US stands out, even by international standards. No country was as politically divided over its government's handling of COVID-19 as the US was last summer, according to a 14-nation survey.

Some observers say it may be too late to change people's attitudes, with almost two years of Trump playing down the risk of the virus. The widening partisan divisions have taken a toll on people from all walks of life and their daily routines.

The disproportionate impact on minority groups and the low-income population has been a recurring theme throughout the pandemic.