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D3 said..
I'd like to think I'm not ignoring or trying to rewrite what happened.
Before mid 21 I really didn't think mandates were going to be used, I just assumed that everyone would jump at the chance.
But between the effectiveness of restricting international travel and the shotshow that was government advice plus some serious misinformation and FUD spreading by deliberate bad actor's, it became apparent that vaccine uptake was going to stay pretty low.
Unfortunately, just focussing on trying to protect vulnerable populations while letting the rest of the population do as they saw fit, wasn't going to work very well at reducing healthcare system burden and mortality.
I think we can blame Trump for much of the misinformation. The conservative American crap posted by many Aussie SB folk is evidence of that.
Excess Death Rates for Republican and Democratic Registered Voters in Florida and Ohio During the COVID-19 Pandemic
JAMA Intern Med. 2023;183(9):916-923. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.1154
"Key Points
Question Was political party affiliation a risk factor associated with excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida and Ohio?
Findings In this cohort study evaluating 538?159 deaths in individuals aged 25 years and older in Florida and Ohio between March 2020 and December 2021, excess mortality was significantly higher for Republican voters than Democratic voters after COVID-19 vaccines were available to all adults, but not before. These differences were concentrated in counties with lower vaccination rates, and primarily noted in voters residing in Ohio.
Meaning The differences in excess mortality by political party affiliation after COVID-19 vaccines were available to all adults suggest that differences in vaccination attitudes and reported uptake between Republican and Democratic voters may have been a factor in the severity and trajectory of the pandemic in the US."
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2807617