Last updated on July 27th, 2021 at 04:44 am
COVID never had to become a political issue. Unfortunately, then the virus hit American shores, the worst possible person was in charge. And Donald Trump had no problem downplaying the seriousness of the virus if it helped his chances at reelection.
Now the results of Trump’s actions are really starting to come into play. The vaccine is out and readily available for all Americans. But people in red states have been much more hesitant to get their shots than people in blue states. As a result, a variant of COVID-19 is now surging in many Republican areas.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has pushed for his constituents to get vaccinated for months. It hasn’t been working, though, as the state has one of the lowest vax rates in the country. During a CNN interview on Sunday, Hutchinson blamed the poor numbers on myths.
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The governor told host Jake Tapper, “I don’t know if I underestimated it, but, certainly, the resistance has hardened in certain elements, and is simply false information.”
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tells @jaketapper that low vaccination rates are what’s holding the state back in its fight against the spread of COVID-19. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/jLbSzy7To6
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) July 25, 2021
Hutchinson continued, “It is myths. As I go into these town hall meetings, someone said: Don’t call it a vaccine. Call it a bioweapon. And they talk about mind control. Well, those are obviously erroneous. Other members of the community correct that.”
Despite Hutchinson’s best efforts, not too many Arkansans seemed interested in getting vaccinated. And that could spell much more trouble for the state‘s residents.
Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey based politics and technology writer. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com and hillreporter.com. He enjoys sports, politics, comic books and spending time at the shore with his family.