White House frustrated by Republican doubts about the vaccine

For months, the White House, fearing the politicization of health issues, refrained from criticizing Republican politicians who downplayed vaccines or tried to use the vaccine against the government.

But despite massive vaccination, a gap is developing between Republican regions that have skepticism about vaccines and increased infections, and more democratic regions with higher vaccination rates and lower infections.

And now the White House is responding to politicians they believe are spreading harmful misinformation or vaccine concerns.

When South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster tried this week to stop a door-to-door vaccination campaign, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki didn’t put her finger on the line.

When they don’t provide accurate health information, including about the effectiveness and availability of vaccines across the country, including in South Carolina, they are literally contributing to people’s deaths. So maybe they should think about it, she said.

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growing gap

While 67 percent of American adults receive At least one dose However, the authorities are increasingly concerned about the large geographical and political gap in the vaccination rate.

In democracies Massachusetts and Vermont, more than 70 percent of the population took a first hit, while at the other end of the scale, poor and strongly Republican states like Mississippi and Louisiana were less than 40 percent.

Infections have decreased in Washington and Maine, among other states, while states such as Missouri and Arkansas are currently recording increased infections.

Kansas is now reporting the fastest increase in infection in three months, especially along the Missouri border, where the delta variant led to a sharp increase. At the same time, vaccination is slow in the two states due to widespread doubts about the vaccine.

Arizona also recorded the largest increase in two months with 921 new cases in the past 24 hours while the virus is spreading among those who have not been vaccinated.

Get rid of the silk gloves

The White House took off its silk gloves after several Republican politicians criticized President Joe Biden for calling for door-to-door campaigns to persuade people to vaccinate.

“Now we have to go from neighborhood to neighborhood, often door to door to help those who haven’t yet been vaccinated, to get their vaccinations,” he said Tuesday.

But many Republicans objected and appealed to those in the party who wanted the least state possible.

Knock on the door will be forbidden

The Biden administration will knock on your door to see if you’ve been vaccinated. What’s Next? Knock to see if you have a weapon? Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio tweeted.

McMaster asked his health authorities to ban the door-knocking campaign, and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich sent Biden a letter condemning the strategy.

But such a door-to-door banking campaign went too far, though the White House was quick to point out that the criticisms do not apply to all Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell and the governors of Arkansas and Ohio.

The country is failing

But White House Corona Coordinator Jeff Zents made it clear that those who spread misinformation are failing the country, doctors and others working to save lives and end the epidemic.

Psaki emphasized that it was usually not government employees who knocked on doors, but local volunteers, including priests.

She noted that the strategy has contributed to an increase in vaccination in several places, including in Alabama with a 3.9 percent increase in vaccinations in June and Florida with an increase of 4.4 percent.