The COVID 19 Vaccination Map Looks a lot like a Presidential Election One

Photo from New York Times. 

President Biden has set a goal for having 70 percent of the country receiving at least one injection of the COVID 19 vaccination by July 4, 2021.

According to reporting by the New York Times, the following states have already met or surpassed that goal:

• California.
• Connecticut.
• Hawaii.
• Maine.
• Maryland.
• Massachusetts.
• New Hampshire.
• New Jersey.
• New Mexico.
• Pennsylvania.
• Rhode Island.
• Vermont.

These are the states that will probably meet the 70 percent mark by July 4:

• Colorado.
• Delaware.
• Illinois.
• Minnesota.
• New York.
• Oregon.
• Virginia.
• Washington.

Do political readers see a pattern here?

All of these states, with the exception of Pennsylvania in 2016, have voted Democrat in the last five Presidential elections.

The Blue States appear to be doing a better job of persuading their populations to get Coronavirus vaccinations.

Or more people in these states see the health value in getting the shots.

Among the states that will come close but not reach the 70 percent goal by July 4 are the following battleground purple-mostly blue states:

• Arizona.
• Michigan.
• Nevada.
• Wisconsin.

Georgia is projected to be at 57 percent by July 4, 2021.

The states projected to have the lowest vaccination rates are perennial Presidential red states:

• Alabama.
• Arkansas.
• Idaho.
• Louisana.
• Mississippi.
• Tennessee.
• West Virginia.
• Wyoming.

Some states and the federal government have offered various incentives to improve their vaccination numbers. These motivating tools include:

• Giving free marijuana (Arizona.)
• Guns, trucks, and lottery winnings (West Virginia.)
• Free Beer and Child Care(The Biden/Harris Administration.)
• College tuition assistance, sports tickets, and free airline tickets (Washington.)

While these incentives are definitely creative and will probably increase the vaccination numbers, it is amazing that one could probably predict which states will go safely Democrat in 2022 and 2024, which ones will go red, and which will be the likely battlegrounds (of which you can likely add, based on the numbers, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas to the last group.)

It is another indicator that pollsters could probably use to predict election outcomes based on education level and scientific literacy.