The Gainesville Sun
COVID comeback
This spring, as millions lined up for anti-COVID vaccinations, we seemed to be near the end of the pandemic. But then it became clear that other tens of millions were refusing to be vaccinated and were also vehemently rejecting masks and social distancing.
Now the virus, and especially its variants, are coming back strong. Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. And the winners, besides the virus itself, are Donald Trump and his acolytes, like Gov. Ron DeSantis and countless other Republican state officials.
The 21 states with the highest vaccination rates all voted for Joe Biden last November, and 16 of the 17 states with the lowest vaccination rates voted for Trump. And here in DeSantis Florida we have the second-highest per capita rate of COVID cases in the country and the fourth-highest hospitalization rate. And our death rate is twice the national average.