How American conservatives turned against the vaccine

The partisan pandemic, explained in 15 charts.
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President Donald Trump presided over the fastest vaccine development process in history, leading to abundant, free vaccines in the US by the spring of 2021. Although the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines haven’t been able to stop transmission of the virus, they have been highly effective against hospitalization and death, saving hundreds of thousands of lives and rendering the majority of new Covid-19 deaths preventable.
Trump has received three doses of the vaccine. But many of his most dedicated supporters have refused, and many have died as a result. Why? Obvious culprits include misinformation on social media and Fox News and the election of Joe Biden, which placed a Democrat at the top of the US government throughout the vaccine distribution period. But if you look closely at the data, you’ll see that vaccine-hesitant conservatives largely made up their mind well before the vaccines were available and before Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.
To understand why, I took a deep dive into the data, interviewed researchers, and spoke to people who lost loved ones to preventable severe Covid-19 infections. What I found is a stark cautionary tale for the country and for Republican political elites. Partisan polarization takes on a life of its own; once set into motion it’s nearly impossible to stop, even when the fallout is immense and irreparable.
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[@Vox]

I was curious how some other countries were able to achieve extremely high vaccination rates and came across Portugal, where 91% of the population has completed their vaccinations, compared to 64% in the US. (Note: the definition of “fully vaccinated” is shifting as the evolving virus makes boosters increasingly important!) Portugal’s strategy was, in part, to give the vaccine effort a non-political face: a military officer named Henrique Gouveia e Melo. He’s very tall, wears a combat uniform everywhere he goes, and enforced a strictly non-political communications strategy. He approached the vaccine effort like a military mission and by all accounts, gained the trust of the nation. It certainly wasn’t the only factor in Portugal’s success, but it made me wonder whether a military-led approach could have helped reduce polarization in the US. Let me know what you think in the comments below. -Joss

[@kilgoretrout413]

That sounds like a great idea, especially considering the bizarre fetishisation of the military in the USA 🇺🇸

[@mochazhar7380]

not in Indonesia 🗿

[@tectonicallyinsane3450]

Idk, I think many people with their biases towards the vaccine and all its boosters would cause distrust to increase and they would use it to further indoctrinate people into their ideals.

[@JoePlatt1]

@@kilgoretrout413 Exactly. It would have worked in the UK too I think

[@dialectiks]

Ah yes, the unpolitical military lol. I rather think that the military guy appealed to exact those people who were hesitant when some gov suit told them to get vacced. The rest (that thinks of the military as politicized, and not in a good way) gets the vaccine anyway.

[@RoverTheDog1]

My parents (who are very right leaning) got the vaccine before it was required by either of their jobs. They started being "anti Vax" once they realised the vaccine wouldn't be the end of masks, social distancing, online schooling, etc.

[@kw2080]

Trust in health institutions is declining. Even the WHO had to admit they intentionally lie to keep peace among different countries.

[@kw2080]

@@india-curry mandates are a terrible idea. I guess we could just become an authoritarian state lol. That sounds like a good reason to vaccinate.

[@RoverTheDog1]

@@india-curry Im not disagreeing that Vaccines are important and I agree they are only the first step. I'm just giving the perspective of a more right wing voter

[@RunForPeace-hk1cu]

@@kw2080 vaccines 💉 aren’t a miracle drug . It only minimizes the chance of severely reaction to the virus. It doesn’t stop it completely. You have this misconception that it’s a miracle drug

[@kw2080]

@@RunForPeace-hk1cu you are probably right, for the first 3 months after vaccine. After that, the effectiveness drops rapidly. I just wish media and Biden were honest. Sadly, the more authoritarian the government, the less honest.

[@jamesgreen4212]

It takes a strong person to admit they were wrong on the vaccine. Weaponising the vaccine as a political tool representing 'oppression' etc. I wish everyone well and stay safe in this pandemic time! 😇

[@mickey8643]

Strong or dying

[@jamesgreen4212]

@@mickey8643 precisely. Sometimes lessons are hard ones, so them admitting their mistakes helps educate others to not fall in the same trap.

[@mickey8643]

@@jamesgreen4212 Like how we never got a Spore 2 so until we do EA needs to know we mean business

[@EB-du3vh]

The vaccine has most definitely been used as an oppressive tool. That doesn’t mean the vaccine doesn’t work lol

[@carpo719]

@@EB-du3vh its both.

[@klashnekov86]

Never understood how in the USA people listened more to politicians and conspiracy theorists rather then doctors.

[@luciasantillan101]

I asked someone this (not going to mention who) and in their mind it was because Trump was looking out for them while Fauci/pharmaceuticals just wanted to make a profit off of the pandemic Which caught me off guard because 1. It would be difficult for Fauci to pay doctors worldwide just to say that the pandemic is life threatening and that people should get tested and vaccinated 2. Most testing and vaccinations were free

[@neeneko]

well, the short answer is capitalism as an ideology. people support brands that advertise in a way that resonates with them. politicians and conspiracy theorists are pure marketing, shifting their message constantly in order to be appealing to people who want to be appealed to. doctors say things people do not want to hear, and politicians who say things people do not want to hear tend to have smaller audiences. today.... products, health, politics, all of them are being run from the same playbook because people respond to the same messages and techniques regardless of the domain. this is also why so much of the anti-vax stuff is wrapped up with anti-communism/anti-socialism rhetoric...

[@Overlord1289_]

Yep, the internet can be terrible sometimes

[@EB-du3vh]

You mean the highest paid taxpayer employee Dr. Fauci? Yes there is no reason why I would not want to listen to him

[@Overlord1289_]

@@EB-du3vh Dr. Fauci had a pretty good word on Covid

[@TheKawaiifan]

if we hadn't treated covid as a political issue instead of the health issue it really is, we really would've gotten a lot more done by now

[@stenergut9661]

"we"

[@GlimpsofDay]

You can say that about most problems in the US. I.e. mental health treatment, drug abuse, etc

[@tacogodboomdogg]

There are people out there that avoid the vaccine because it's distributed under Biden, even though it was created under Trump. And it shouldn't even matter since it would be the same people working on the vaccine but people trust their parties on medical advice more than their doctors.

[@m0nm0n]

This is one thing I appreciated & respected here in Australia. Our State governments were all taking their lead from the relevant Department of Health. In Victoria at the height of our lockdowns there was a daily press conference where qualified health officials would update on the current situation with all the data from the previous day. Yes there was still a political side to it, but overall it was a unified message

[@bruman182]

@@m0nm0n How long was Melbourne in lockdown?

[@andrew6207]

I lost my dad to Covid and I’m just 18. I told him many times to get the vaccine, but he was skewed by political views. It hurts a lot to see him gone. Im sorry if you rely on your news station to tell you what’s best for you. It is your decision. Don’t come to a decision and never look back. Stay open minded. Think about those around you. Life is precious

[@denisenilsson1366]

Please accept my most sincere condolences on your dad's passing. I send cyberhugs to you and your family. 😪💔💐🌈🌠

[@8aron]

I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine what that would feel like.

[@Chiiimpen]

Only social media news got it. Thanks for the post!

[@VesperAegis]

So sorry this happened to your father. Those who propagate misinformation and disinformation have a lot to answer for after the last two years especially. Every solitary post discrediting the vaccine, saying it doesn't work, saying it has microchips, saying it alters your DNA, obfuscating experts, gaslighting by pointing to monetary interest in lieu of the data, saying that no long term studies are available despite the fact that we have zero logical reason to assume that a vaccine whose ingredients are gone from the body after a month have any possibility of having such long term side effects, and claiming the vaccine is untested despite millions of sample data points - all of those posts, comments, threads, memes ultimately ended the life of innocent people by proxy. It's wrong, and people should be held accountable for spreading anti-science nonsense.

[@Sam-xu3xq]

@@VesperAegis how much did big pharma pay you?

[@ruelarila7201]

Jesus this is just depressing. Well done, Vox. I hope we could get this to those who need to see this.

[@50jakecs]

Those people don't care about learning since they're so arrogant and think they're so much smarter than real experts, that this video won't change their mind.

[@carpo719]

@@50jakecs who are these "people"? Those who disagree with you? Or want to choose their own health ?

[@charlesmiv3842]

@@carpo719 dimwitted conservatives like you 👍 I hesitate to even call them “people” to be honest.

[@TheHauntedKiwi]

@@charlesmiv3842 Parasites, plague rats is more accurate

[@carpo719]

@@charlesmiv3842 actually im a liberal. And folks like you are embarrassing to those who are truly liberal. You're assuming. Know what that means? Yup

[@copperheadchris2807]

2 things stand out to me 1 the repulican philosophy is based on the idea of more freedom always is better. They see the avoidance of vaccinations as a practice of that philosophy. 2 the two party system is toxic and flawed. The media and the algorythms fostered an "us vs them" mentality among the two dominant parties. Skepticism is healthy, but people on both sides felt validated in their beliefs due to how difficult it was to communicate with the opposing side

[@JackWaterworth]

It is not the avoidance of vaccinations. Its the avoidance of being force vaccinated. Those who pushed back against this use of force are more likely to looking for additional reasons to refuse it, such as investigating the vaccine itself, leading them to learn about some valid concerns, and a lot of conspiracy theory. These things dont just cover the COVID vaccines, but all vaccines in general. This is why Trump in the video specifically says "its your choice if you want to get vaccinated or not, but you should do it! I did it!".

[@REDnBLACKnRED]

The problem with this video is that it will never reach the ones it needs to the most, as shown in this very video, the ones that it needs to reach the most only watch Fox News and are stuck in social media echo chambers. It's a frustrating situation for society as a whole. I'm not even American, but this is happening to a lesser extent across the globe, and in contexts beyond just vaccination.

[@xToddmcx]

I don't think this video is trying to reach anti-vaxxers and change their minds. It seemed to me that it's just trying to explain what's going on.

[@joeg5414]

The sad part is you don't realize that you too are stuck in an echo chamber

[@KingMinosxxvi]

I know not in time anyway because they are allready vaccinated with omnicron...oh right...."Omnicron is the best vaccine we have" Bill Gates. Oh but he was talking about Africa so I guess that doesn't count./

[@JasonBoyce]

Nothing will reach them, it’s a matter of pride at this point

[@KingMinosxxvi]

@@JasonBoyce Reach Who? You? So natural (recovery) immunity is better than vaccine immunity AND omincron is a better transmitter of the vaccine and similar in detriment SO maybe if you stop MANDATEING people to do it then......they wouldn't be so adverse to it.....PRIDE...your the one with the pride problem.

[@dcdemon813]

Aside from the great content, I am floored by the creative direction on this video. It is extremely difficult to create something captivating without using lots of graphics. The use of projector transparency film is genius and the framing of the video calls is amazing too. This video has so much depth of information and clear visual information. Bravo. Really. Great work!

[@donefedup2208]

but doesn't cure cov

[@dcdemon813]

@Done fedup huh? What does the creative direction have to do with your comment? Take some time to recognize the little, seemingly unimportant, things in life. Life is all about perspective. Chances are, we agree on 80% of everything... We just might not agree on how to get there. It takes too much energy to get worked up about differences in opinions. Instead, I chose to compliment where I can. And to you, I applaud your passion for finding the solution that works for you. I hope you find what you're searching for.

[@GoTeamScotch]

I really agree with the clever use of transparencies to illustrate the points being made. I enjoyed that part of it. Personally though I can't stand when they show a laptop or phone screen of an interview. It makes me think that they're not tech savvy enough to record the screen properly. I get that it's a design decision here, but that's not always the case. It's like holding a microphone up to a speaker instead of just getting the actual recording. Plus, makes me feel like I'm watching an ad for Apple. But that's just me. Great video overall.

[@b3at2]

Republicans are DOOMED...the next pandemic will whipe them out. lol

[@mattgraff]

This is the comment I came to write. Glad to see others feel the same way

[@tibineagu]

This was so incredibly well researched and presented, I'd tip my hat many times over to the team who worked on this.

[@carpo719]

They left out many factors including the mutations, the reduction in efficacy of the vaccine, and the fact that many liberals also don't want to take the shot. We know at this point it's about profits. Never let a crisis go to waste

[@kilimanjaro1893]

@@carpo719 It's already on the budget, so you really can't do anything about it.

[@sai7913]

@@carpo719 1. Mutations: They talked about the delta wave and how there were less deaths among vaccinated people. Did you watch the video? 2. Reduction of efficacy of the vaccine: No vaccine is 100% effective. Wearing a seatbelt doesn't guarantee that you survive a car accident. But you should still wear a seat belt and you should still get vaccinated. It's all about mitigating risk for yourself and in the case of the vaccine, mitigating the risk for others as well. 3. Many liberals also don't want to take the shot: The point of the video is that vaccine hesitancy is politically polarized with Republicans being more likely to be unvaccinated. Who ever said that every liberal wants to get vaccinated, in the video or elsewhere?

[@minioop2]

@@Diabledude3344 She said the "risk". This is not the same as just multiplying together the data. One of the reasons misinformation is so effective is because people like you don't have a clue how data is calculated, and think your entirely wrong opinion is worth chiming in about.

[@ricksanchez9798]

@@sai7913 you people keep trying to compare a seat belt to a chemical weapon. False equivalencies do not support facts.

[@kaanyasin3733]

Imagine if we politicized cough sirup

[@RERM001]

My mum has a childhood friend whose parents decided not to vaccinate her against polio, and shure enough, she got polio as a result of being unvaccinated. Now, she lives in a wheelchair, something that was completely avoidable.

[@JupiterVortex]

"She got it and now lives in a wheel chair" do you mean she got the vaccine or what

[@CaptainAmaziiing]

I get my polio booster every 6 months.

[@Ps3luvr260]

Yeah covid ain’t polio my dude

[@userlog2474]

@@JupiterVortex She got polio. That is unclear grammar though.

[@JupiterVortex]

@@userlog2474 so she got polio because of no vaccine?

[@Shaboops]

Joss Fong is an American hero whose hard work in journalism is saving lives through dispelling misinformation. I look up to her so much because of these videos.

[@Shaboops]

@@wilmarkjohnatty4924 If you aren't a bot comment then you're incredibly detached from reality and projecting beyond belief.

[@Shaboops]

@@wilmarkjohnatty4924 It's clear you don't know anyone that works in an ICU, ask any nurse or doctor that worked through the peak of covid how many people BEGGED for the vaccine before going under intubation and were told thats now how that works.

[@d0k0night]

I'm more surprised we didn't have a million comments in here gushing over her good looks, like in previous Vox videos.

[@gioruffa]

What a great piece of data journalism. It has it all: correct choice of idioms, no nonsense glyphs, correct naming of the axis, animations where they make sense. Great work! The only thing I am not sure about is how much blue and red are colorblind friendly, but it clearly made sense to choose them.

[@texasranger7687]

At least, it is not Green and red which is the worst combinaison for colorblind

[@TheFeldhamster]

Blue and red are actually pretty ok for color blindness. The most prevalent form of color blindness is red-green and the next common one is green-blue. I looked it up a while ago when designing diagrams.

[@safe-keeper1042]

Seconded. But yes, maybe the D and R blips on the chart could be different shapes, for the sake of colour-blind people.

[@minalsingla6357]

@@Stevie-J Yeah, my broken watch show the correct time twice a day, every day! time is a lie!!

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@Stevie-J actual covid infection is still 30x more likely to lead to myocarditis than the vaccines; and the form from actual infection is much harder to treat as well.

[@piccolo917]

I'm a biomedical scientist. These last 2+ years have been very frustrating to me and my colleagues -_- Doctors and medical scientists who don't work for a pharma don't gain any benefits from you getting the vaccines they advertise or the precautionary actions you can take. Just, please, listen to them...

[@peter12246]

keep up the great work 😃

[@MrShikaga]

@@Diabledude3344 What does that have to do with anything? Firstly, this doesn’t allege that anyone is doing that, just there are different payouts for different diagnoses (which seems weird to me, why not pay out by the cost of the diagnostic procedures?, but hey, I don’t run Medicare, I am sure they understand the system much better than me). But they aren’t saying this is actually happening. But let’s for argument say that the more immoral hospitals are doing this sometimes, what does that have to do with them encouraging you to get a vaccine? How is the hospital making profits from misdiagnosing you linked to them encouraging you to get a vaccine? The vaccine is going to make it less likely for you to get covid (or have no effect if you don’t believe in vaccines) thus reducing their profits!

[@MrShikaga]

@@Diabledude3344 I think you misunderstand what is being described in the words you quoted. According to that quote they get more money for “diagnosis” of you having Covid, not for the vaccine, either talking about it or giving it. Perhaps there was part of the article you didn’t quote that talks about the vaccine?

[@PeaceMastah]

@@Diabledude3344 Incorrect

[@piccolo917]

@@Diabledude3344 The hospitals may see more money from COVID deaths, yes. However, the doctors and nurses don't.

[@tanjimpurno2560]

I remember how excessively concerned the US was about Ebola because supposedly Africa wasn't capable of taking care of itself. Now look who's actually pathetically bad at saving their own people.

[@oldshampoo]

TANJIM PURNO YOU TOOOK IT TOO FAR

[@tanjimpurno2560]

@@oldshampoono the American people have taken it too far.

[@hs5312]

I will devil’s advocate and ask what is the fatality rate for Ebola vs Covid?

[@RicochetAQW]

@@hs5312 the fatality rate for ebola is 50%. Much worse than Covid.

[@connect2437]

@@hs5312 Ebola is way way way way way less contagious though

[@seanaugagnon6383]

I almost died in Golden Gate Park with COVID Delta while homeless. The most extreme hallucinations. The worst aches and pains. I couldn't make it to the hospital. Nobody would help me. I had no phone to call for help. I am so lucky that wasn't the end. I was vaxed and boosted. If I hadn't been I would be dead.

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

Is this a joke?

[@australianaliens5942]

I hope you are in much better circumstances

[@seanaugagnon6383]

@@tsarina24honolulu87 no it's not a joke. That's a simple, tame version of what happened. In reality the details were even worse.

[@seanaugagnon6383]

@@australianaliens5942 I am. I live in Santa Rosa. I have my own place, I'm going to school to be a licensed clinician for drug counseling. I never thought I could dig myself out of the hole of opiate addiction and homelessness. And to be honest. I couldn't do it alone. I went to jail and then drug rehabilitation. My family helped me pay for rehab. I go to NA meetings. Getting out of a situation like that is a group effort that requires; family, professional and non-professional help.

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

@@seanaugagnon6383 most people who didn't get the vax lived. It was underlying conditions and obesity

[@jlee4039]

Flipping the transparent bar graph to show the reliance among the unvaccinated on Fox News and social media was a brilliant choice. Bravo 👏👏 👏

[@zoilabrashears9358]

I think the most important piece of information on this going forward in history is that the politicians should have erased their party affiliations and been in agreement about what was good for the people. A united front would have created very different statistics. Instead, they made it political, just to try and win votes.

[@JasonBoyce]

One person made it political. Not sure what you’re implying Democrats could have done there

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Just based on our local experience here I NZ, the two key things highlighted by this vid do seem to be vital: 1) Having leaders who are willing to listen to medical scientists & act on that, sharing clear regular briefings and focusing on people over money, rather than just saying whatever they think will protect their popularity (or ego!) 2) Having reasonable consensus amongst news outlets to accurately share information, rather than misinformation... although social media remains a chaos zone! I think having a single-layer government who've been pretty clear in their messaging really helps too - I don't envy Australia & the USA, where their multilayered state/federal systems don't all seem to be pointing in one consistent direction...? We do have a very small cadre of vaccine resisters, who're largely influenced by American sources via social media, but although they're loud they haven't yet been able to sway policy away from an approach that's intended to put public health before politics. Most people seem to understand that being part of a country involves both individual rights AND collective responsibilities. On a day-to-day level many people have definitely been fairly careless, particularly in earlier stages where we got off super-lightly as a country? But majority are now taking at least the basic precautions, even if their understanding of why may still be a little bit fuzzy. It'll be interesting to see how things develop as Omicron (much more infectious) and later variants continue to cut a swathe through the population...?

[@JasonBoyce]

@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 "Most people seem to understand that being part of a country involves both individual rights AND collective responsibilities" Not in America 😂

[@hs5312]

@@JasonBoyce well the thing is for whatever reason most American conservatives are for literally every other vaccine mandate in place not just one for this.

[@MissSassie]

I agree and therefore why we will never go into epidemic stage for a very long time. It's such a shame and to the people who do the rights things feels It's for nothing at the end of the day, because nothing is getting that much better and mutation after mutations are on rise all the time. The toll keeps rising with no end in site it seems. Shame all around 😕

[@blowitoutyourcunt7675]

This killed my father, Facebook and Fox News killed my Dad.

[@askosefamerve]

Sorry for your loss ❤

[@catarinabarbosa2247]

loving the use of physical props for graphs, really elevates these videos

[@dkeiti]

That's that.

[@etcetera1674]

Exactly

[@PHlophe]

caterina, Pois é !

[@katwil89]

Yes! I'm a visual learner and the graphs were very helpful.

[@overmeme953]

@@katwil89 no such this as a “visual learner”

[@logannicholson1850]

As someone from New Zealand I think I can speak for many people who live elsewhere where the narrative of the US being an amazing country and a world leader was shattered by the handling of Covid it was just astonishing how divided the people were on the topics surrounding the virus. It was honestly very sad to watch

[@rhmendelson]

It was hard to live through as well. I live in an upscale community with highly educated residents and still there were many resistant people. Those of us who understood the health risks were constantly urging others to talk to their doctors and health care professionals rather than what their news station, favorite blog or podcast was telling them. I find it astounding that people would sacrifice their life and health for a political belief when factual hard science was urging vaccination...sigh!

[@booklover2049]

a lot of people trusted leadership to tell them what to do. But leadership said mixed things. I think they killed the people who passed away.

[@RyTrapp0]

All the hostility, censorship, and complete & utter lack of transparency has been sad. But that shouldn't have been surprising.

[@SenatorBluto]

Jacinda Ardern and Dan Andrews were horrible and they've both quit!

[@Ghost-fe1vp]

It started quite a while back with Obama. People just didn't notice.

[@wintave]

As someone who is a printer, this was an amazing video. Instead of judging and mindless berating, you had proper data and research about the polarizing beliefs of both sides of the spectrum and delivered that in an effective way. Props to you, Vox! - From the UAE

[@donefedup2208]

she doesn't list any of the reasons i wouldn't take it

[@AnneEloiseOfCNY]

@@donefedup2208 So go ahead. You list them. Let the public decide how universal your reasons are. Are these reasons others can safely abide by? Or are these personal reasons, with little safe application for others. Go ahead! No one is stopping you! State your reasons!

[@bard1250]

Why is it that society by large accepts that a mother can end the life of her baby under the my body my choice argument but won't acceot the decision of an individual who doesn't want a particular drug even though it doesn't lead to the direct, or immediate, death of another.

[@mrdollyman5675]

@@bard1250 good question

[@mrdollyman5675]

@@AnneEloiseOfCNY They are personal. Because getting a vaccine is a *personal health decision!*

[@ZeMarkKrazee]

Your presentation was phenomenal. Your ability to restrain yourself and go very neutral in your assessment is quite amazing. I’m not sure I could have done the same. This is easily my favorite video from Vox.

[@harrisonkane1288]

god help you if you ever have to talk to someone who disagrees with you.

[@MrWaltjam]

In performing scientific studies they should remain neutral even if the topic is triggering to some. It should make no difference what they think only what the data can show. That is how science works. I would have preferred that instead of democrat or republican they should have did the study based on liberal or conservative beliefs and every position taken before the vaccine was released, before the election and after the election and the positions taken then by all the media and leading politicians. It would not necessarily change the data, but might show why some made the decisions that they made. It may well be nothing to do with their political affiliation but the way it was handled by the ones who try to influence us. All of them in power or aspiring to power at the time not just the president and a few radio anchors. She did not for instance include the CBS anchors and a certain Senator who proclaimed that they would never take the vaccine because it came out too quickly to be safe. Then after the election did an about face and acted as if they supported the vaccine all along. that had alot to do with the decisions people made...in my opinion but I would like to see data on that. It may be enlightening.

[@NeonNotch]

@@harrisonkane1288 copium overload there, chief

[@fuji420]

@@harrisonkane1288 god isn't real

[@js8597]

7/8 of the claims that republicans said are true were (and vox is saying are false) have been proven true in pfizers latest document dump, that they were attempting to have hidden for 75 years.

[@ObeAroundTheGlobe]

it's great to see journalism where every claim is complemented with evidence. great video

[@OntheOtherHandVideos]

Journalism having evidence to back up claims is the baseline of competent. I would dare say great journalism looks at the strongest claims and evidences of both sides of a given issue. For example, Vox highlights the "8 false claims" by polling, and highlights the "false claim" that Covid-19 deaths are exaggerated. Fauci said at the end of 2021 that "If you look at the children who are hospitalized, many of them are hospitalized with Covid as opposed to because of Covid, and what we mean by that - if a child goes in the hospital, they automatically get tested for Covid. And they get counted as a Covid-hospitalized individual. When in fact, they may go in for a broken leg or appendicitis or something like that. So, it’s over-counting the number of children who are, quote, ‘hospitalized with Covid,’ as opposed to because of Covid.” That statement was deemed 'misinformation' and a 'conspiracy theory' for more than a year, and apparently still is a 'false claim' according to Vox's source.

[@rep-vile]

These republicans never heard of this concept called evidence, they think it means facebook memes. Good for them exterminating themselves, win win either way.

[@OntheOtherHandVideos]

@@stereomachine Calling a fact a "tired right wing argument" isn't a counterargument, it's a dodge. And you also imply acknowledging reality is "downplay[ing] the pandemic", so you seem to be putting your narrative of the pandemic as more important than the facts on the ground. I never said things weren't serious, and didn't merit looking at things closely. In fact, I do my best to take things seriously and look at presentations (such as this one from Vox) with the scrutiny and skepticism it deserves.

[@androsRoccha]

That was such a naive comment! As if it was simple as that. The content is good but represents only a part of the whole context.

[@jennifernordlund2691]

@@rep-vile you're a sociopath but you want people to take your medical advice? 😆 🤣 😂

[@rev.rachel]

This is really interesting data, and it aligns with my experience. Most of the people I've spoken to who are either vaccine hesitant, or even are vaccinated but lean conservative poltically, have at some point said to me that they thought the severity and/or death counts of the virus were overblown.

[@daebak7370]

"Our disinformation program will be complete when everything the american public believes is a lie"-William Casey, former director of cia.The fact that a virus that has a 99.7% survival rate is enough for govts to justify forcing vaccine on us w/o long term data on health effects and pharma companies are exempted by the govt from being sued or held liable should raise massive red flags. This is one of the biggest scams/crimes pulled against humanity under the guise of public safety. World govts are colluding together at the expense of their own citizens to usher in new world order. New world order led by obama and pope francis is coming. America is the last major bastion of freedom standing in their way to fulfill their one world govt agenda. America will be under martial law from this covid agenda and will be invaded by russia and china in near future. Repent and seek jesus christ for salvation.

[@NeonNotch]

@@daebak7370 Covid has a lower survival rate than 99.7%.

[@CarlosGarcia-nt4wf]

@@NeonNotch it's 95.5% when you include the elderly population, but when you dont thats where you get the 99.7%

[@paddlefaster]

Death is not the only outcome of covid. There are a very high number of long haulers that suffer permanent respiratory disorders and other ailments.

[@StarFlagMedia]

@@paddlefaster it is not a "very high number" its actually less than 1%

[@neetones]

This is a masterclass in how you use charts effectively.

[@williamhuynh869]

The papers look so clean

[@Braddah_Sense]

Only thing I'd argue is that bars should have both differing pattern and color, as it helps for those with color blindness or visual impairments. But I agree, it was really really well presented, couldn't have done it better myself.

[@mbogucki1]

We are going to be studying the political and sociological ramifications of this pandemic for generations.

[@safe-keeper1042]

For sure.

[@tyronesimpson8276]

I'm afraid of living in the political and sociological ramifications of this pandemic...this won't just be some future case study, it will have some serious consequences in the next 5-10 years and beyond

[@chillvibed]

We won't live that long 🤣💯

[@gizmobowen]

It will be interesting to see how much the Republican base decreases due to people lost during this pandemic. It can't be good for a political party to lose so many constituents who listened to its directions. This will be a unique data point to this unfortunate series of events.

[@westGUA]

I don't know about that, the 1918 pandemic doesn't seem to have been studied and understood by this generation. Obviously the medical field did make progress in regards to airborne illnesses, but it seemed the rest of the world forgot that episode ever happened.

[@zagreus5773]

That's what happens when you fight a war against reality.

[@DamienDrake]

@@Stevie-J Yes, yes! This lies at Fauci's feet! Hey, maybe realize that medicine is a science. Sometimes, the scientific method of testing means you were initially going in the wrong direction and have to go in the other direction. That's quite different from politicizing a pandemic, which is the actual issue, but keep blaming the doctor who's worked with presidents on both sides of the aisle for decades and never came under fire until one president decided he'd rather embrace "alternative facts".

[@AlphaGamerDelux]

@@DamienDrake no, no, fauci cleary said "I am the science". Also, if you really wanna promote science you gotta make sure you censor all the people who say you are wrong as conspiracy theorists, that for sure will further the science.

[@linusp9316]

@@AlphaGamerDelux You are confusing reality with Facebook memes.

[@justaloc.846]

@@DamienDrake Are we talking about the same science which gave my aunt bloodclot after a jabb? Or was it "just a coinsidence?"

[@derek44264]

@@linusp9316 no he's not. Joe Rogan literally had a episode of his podcast removed because he had the doctor who helped create mRNA systems on and he said the vaccines are a joke. They cannot allow people to see that they lied about the virus and the "vaccines". We can't even subpeona pfizer for their data until may 2025! ahahahahha

[@tamirpaz7837]

tl/dr: gaslighting people en mass has deadly consequences that will resonate for years and continue to make life worse for all of us.

[@richiereynaga5091]

Terrible how much ignorance and deception people are willing to go through because of some Facebook post they saw, and they pay the ultimate price.

[@elizableu5104]

I lost a good friend cause she wanted to protest against the vaccine and not get vaccinated.

[@ChristianDoretti]

I got the virus more than 1 year ago, and the vaccines about +8 months ago. And seeing the effects of it and how the term fully vaccinated changes by the time I only have the feeling that the vaccine it's just not that needed for people out of the danger zone.

[@jennifernordlund2691]

Yes all those pro vax Facebook ads are the reason I got off Facebook. It's supposed to be a fun place, not a pharmaceutical advertisement.

[@richiereynaga5091]

@@ChristianDoretti but it’s more complicated than that. Someone that’s not vaccinated as a 30 year old may give it to their anti-vax grandma who is 80

[@beneficent2557]

Good thing I got all my "Misinformation" from the FDA and CDC. Do you have any idea how man times I got banned for linking to Government Websites? Newsflash, the emperor has no clothes.

[@nobodynowhere7163]

I don't remember anyone calling COVID 19 the "Trump virus".

[@SylviaRustyFae]

I do recall repubs callin anythin Obama did Obama-X tho.

[@camelliascholl6564]

i think there might have been a couple people that did it like once or twice, but it definitely wasn't a whole thing

[@Andre_APM]

I could not imagine dying for Rupert Murdoch

[@qpol]

we're all waiting for him to finally croak

[@rktsnail]

You’ll be tricked some other way too just wait old sport

[@xXAscendingPhoenixXx]

@@rktsnail In what way?

[@Jubb-eo5vk]

Even less for Tucker Carlson.

[@leonardomontalvo1417]

I didnt want to take that Pharma poison for Biden and Im still here. Not dead or dying.

[@siimtokke3461]

There are two main problems. One is the mindset of "This won't happen to me". The other is the mindset of "Your proof will fortify my disbelieves and the more you try to convince me that I'm wrong the more I will stick to my beliefs".

[@derek44264]

Do the vaccines work? why 4 shots and boosters now...for a virus with a 99.7% survival rate? Maybe their mindset is that the facts don't add up? Fauci and Brandon lied to the American people for a long time now. Why are words like immunocompromised, myocarditis, "sudden fainting" suddenly just in the last year of a 3 year virus popping up in the media? HHHHMMMMMMMMM

[@siimtokke3461]

@@derek44264 Did you watch the video, or you just comment?

[@YraxZovaldo]

@@derek44264 There isn’t a single survival rate. It changes under the influence of many factors. And even thought the strongest effect of the vaccine might be short, that doesn’t mean they don’t workZ

[@PresidentJeanAuguste]

@@derek44264 ah, perfect example of indoctrination

[@selenasimmons6653]

Yes! The "This won't happen to me".. it's in NYC, Chicago, L.A.! I don't live there, or go to China so how can I get it living in Booneville, Flyover State, USA? This is a lack of knowledge of how globally connected we all really are...the other statement, I just don't get yo! (🤷🏽‍♀️!)

[@jmlkinc]

Phil's brother: 'We'd been lied to that Trump was a Russian agent' Trump today: PUTIN WAS SO SMART TO INVADE UKRAINE. WHAT A GREAT GUY.

[@AndrewPonti]

I was kinda like - uh, what? At least he got the vaccine. Can't say much about his other thoughts...

[@ElizabethLopez-hx6xv]

Definitely feel like maybe there should have been some asterisk or something after he went off about Russia. Oh well, at least he’s vaxxed

[@TheTransitmtl]

The news in your country is just messed up. As a Canadian, Fox is very obviously a circus but CNN and MSNBC are not far behind.

[@jmlkinc]

@@TheTransitmtl ... I'm Canadian.

[@rayhans7887]

@@TheTransitmtl Trucks are gone? You guys can comment Again?

[@Pfromm007]

Political polarization is taking American lives. Truly horrible.

[@ckcnj9175]

And yet, it’s a case study on survival of the fittest. Using a brain is keeping the vaxxed alive. Choosing to be unvaxxed is a choice which still kills 300 people in America each day. The best part of it is - those dying are the unvaxxed BY CHOICE. Politics is purging a group of people. I say, “Let them eat cake!”

[@mryeet17boy74]

Vaccine are bad because harmful stuff in those vaccines and a chance of that's high

[@mryeet17boy74]

Political parties are just illusion of choice

[@amosjsoma]

I'm about as conservative as one can be but I am not anti vaccine. I received my first shot on the first day it was available to me and my second when it was available. I received the booster as soon as it was available. As a conservative I am anti mandate. I believe people should make their own decisions and not have the government make it for them. They should consult their doctors for medical advice, not CNN or FOX.

[@massimookissed1023]

As a Conservative, you also believe access to doctors should be prohibitively expensive.

[@gamerinatrance3618]

Good thing the government isn't forcing you to take the vaccine....

[@amosjsoma]

@@massimookissed1023 - It isn't when compared to a lot of other things people spend their money for, it's just too low on most people's priority list.

[@amosjsoma]

@@gamerinatrance3618 - They didn't have too, I wanted it as soon as I could get it.

[@ade1174]

@@massimookissed1023 You do realize that in countries with single payer healthcare, they are paying 30-40% in taxes to fund it?

[@deisisase]

Has anyone noticed that the polarization has spread around the world?

[@annabarr1304]

Yup, I've noticed it here in France

[@zyrtec455]

Not really here in southeast Asia tho. Vaccine is highly in demand. Don’t really understand why so many western country don’t listen to doctor.

[@mattiamelara29]

@@zyrtec455 I believe that’s because of overhyped individualism that reigns in our western societies. There are people who put so much emphasis on their personal freedoms that refuse anything that benefits society at large

[@DanksterPaws]

Not here in Philly, probably because of the lack of any bipartisan Edit: Especially given that it’s election year, no politics in vaccines from what I see.

[@matthewbeat]

The United States has a heavy influence on the world.

[@zkfnd859]

I am baffled. I have been living here in Nepal, and the people here are queuing for their vaccines as well as boosters. People are disciplined enough to put on face masks, despite being vaccinated. I asked few of them and they said that , they have seen how effective previous vaccination has been against vaccine preventable diseases. About masking, the answer was clear... " A piece of mask is effective to prevent death and hospitalisations.. Then why not do it?

[@chadandersen6590]

Politics

[@hs5312]

From I have seen only n95 masks have any meaningful difference in infectious vs no mask and atleast in America most have cloth masks not n95

[@verifiede4125]

@@hs5312 Doesn't mean it's completely worthless, because it's still somewhat effective and more effective than no mask.

[@hs5312]

​@@verifiede4125 no it is almost worthless, cloth masks vs no mask, they found that the difference was so insignificant as to not matter. Surgical masks were found to be slightly better but still difference, 7.6% infection rate with surgical mask vs 8.6% with no mask

[@MaiCohWolf]

I remember telling my dad the science of how vaccines worked way back when the pandemic first hit bc his Doc told him he needed the Shingles shot. He's very Republican, but I think he got the COVID shot bc I told him the science before the news cycle really started to vilify it. Sadly, he's super wary of *all* vaccines now. I can only hope this situation doesn't devolve into something worse.

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

Send him this video

[@jorgeramirez7761]

I thought it was dems saying they wouldn't get the vaccine if it was released under Trump?

[@eagle_klaw_]

Whatever science you told him about vaccines at the start of the pandemic is completely inapplicable to covid "vaccines". mRNA shots aren't vaccines. The CDC literally had to change the definition of vaccine before they could start using that term to describe the COVID shots

[@wjng123]

When doctors tell u to get something, consider getting it. Don't listen to politicians or influencers or your friends. They aren't doctors.

[@muhammadHassan-kj1jy]

So if politicians, influencers and friends are saying get the vaccine, you shouldnt get it?

[@MP-dn4bs]

That’s the problem “Don’t listen to” shouldn’t mean “do the exact opposite of”

[@alkasah4softs129]

@@muhammadHassan-kj1jy What ?!

[@AnymMusic]

the unfortunate thing is that Doctors are corruptable like everyone on earth. no matter if they took the oath or not, they can still lie, downplay or exaggerate, and in general twist the truth. I've seen way too many stories of people dying because of negligence from health professionals. I am not saying that's 100% what is happening, but it is something to also consider whether we like it or not :/

[@muhammadHassan-kj1jy]

@@user-n9990 I think my take was quite clever, actually

[@teenager240]

I did not expect that the republicans were so reluctant about vaccine even before it was invented. That is so sad that vaccines have become a part of the political polarisation in the US and now it will affect the vaccination rates in general. Scientist worked so hard to develop vaccines and protect the population but now it all gets undone.

[@iyziejane]

Distrusting it was the right call, since it's harmed many people and was rendered useless in a few months by variants, which anyone could have predicted.

[@spencerlively3049]

@@iyziejane Watch the video again. Think you missed the point.

[@SobberMacSobberMac]

Didn’t Biden say not to trust the vaccine while he was campaigning for president?

[@samthong3305]

@@SobberMacSobberMac no, not even trump was against the vaccine

[@potpu]

@@iyziejane do you have low reading and hearing comprehension, or did you just not watch the video?

[@SamEbby]

Amazed at the way this video communicated the data just wow

[@notreally2406]

Who are you fks?

[@safeeffective385]

Let me get this straight. So these people are hellbent on that the group that they quite obviously despise the most, have these miraculous "life extension" jabs? How does that even remotely begin to make a shred of sense?

[@jjsambac]

Love this story telling format! The charts are genius. Way better way than ppt

[@Turtlesbekool]

The charts and their perfect alignment scratched a part of my brain that hasn’t been touched in a long time. Lol so satisfying

[@phoenixstormjr.5546]

Did you liberals run off to vox now that CNN ran down the drain?

[@linusp9316]

@@phoenixstormjr.5546 "Caring about your health" = "liberal"? LOL

[@misterinternational]

@@linusp9316 Sadly everything in America is political. It's what happens when you have a 2 party system. Literally can guess someones political party by the kind of car they drive in America

[@NafaratMiyaMiya]

Meticulously detailed presentation of the root causes, my fear is that only Left leaning people will consume this content and we remain where we are. Excellent content!

[@mark-ish]

Right leaning people are all hanging out in their echo chambers listening to the same tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theories. They don't want to hear contrasting ideas just wallow in their pity.

[@qwertpoiuy430]

@@mark-ish you might not be wrong, but we can’t be content calling them out in the same video. We need to have conversations with thee same people

[@harrisonkane1288]

nothing in there was a cause...

[@harrisonkane1288]

@@mark-ish You are also in your echo chamber. I am just hear visiting...

[@brainfloss9710]

@@qwertpoiuy430 Or maybe imark is wrong. Maybe not everybody who makes one particular choice that you disagree with has all the opinions and views you assume they have.

[@BAsed_AFro]

I’ve heard from countless individuals that regret getting the covid jabs, who stopped getting more. And I've talked to hundreds that have had zero, and not even one regrets their decision. In fact, the vast majority agree that not participating in this is one of the best decisions that we’ve ever made in our lives. ^ All that I need to know, right there ^

[@johnsheehy4192]

These interventions were one of the biggest scams in human history. There is no evidence that any lives were saved statistically, and in fact, global C fatality rates increased 49% following rollout. Does anyone ask how they calculate those "millions of lives saved"? As in, "Can I see your assumptions, definitions, and math please?".

[@safeeffective385]

@@johnsheehy4192 You mean, the biggest in history... hands down.

[@Trippticon]

Never underestimate the stupidity of the public and their willingness to believe anything that feeds into their fears. Also never underestimate a politician and their willingness to utilise anything to gain power.

[@andrewliu2526]

If you put your entire faith and trust into an individual who has a history of lying and failure to take personal responsibility. You pretty much made your bed.

[@yzrippin]

Are you talking about Trump or Biden because that applies equally to both

[@object764]

Who? Fauchi, Biden?

[@brc8387]

Not just faith and trust. They base their entire personality around that lying, grifting, twice impeached failure.

[@mack626]

Remember when Fauci said masks didn’t work? And then he claimed that anyone against him is against science?

[@jennifernordlund2691]

Maybe you mean these quack scientists and doctors that peddle drugs?

[@frankgoudy933]

In my state, Illinois, it was the liberal AFT teachers union that resisted required vaccination and with lawsuits. So it was not just conservatives as this article mentioned.

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

I mean you shouldn’t force people to be vaccinated

[@Kamel-d7o]

@@raptorfromthe6ix833 And they didnt...

[@wintensity]

@@Kamel-d7oNot physically, but in every other way it was.

[@coloradocrone]

survival of smartest

[@amartyaroy3754]

As someone who has recently started studying data analytics, the representation of data through visualization in this video is amazing.

[@2m7b5]

Agreed. I'm trying to get into data analytics too and this presentation is kind of genius. It's so simple but tells the story in such a clear and engaging way. Sliding transparencies to compare different views of the same graph is so clever.

[@bobk3840]

Where is the statistical analysis? A least squares line fit doesn’t tell the entire story.

[@TruckPuzzles]

The folks that absolutely need to see this the most will not watch this.

[@nondisclosure2848]

48 vaccines by the age of two?

[@tiffanylikethejewelrystore]

that was actually quite interesting and q great video to bring into conversations with my friends and family that have these ideals. Thank you.

[@ElephantWhisperer222]

Is it really unreasonable for someone to not want to take something in which we don’t know the long term affects of?

[@nathanbourquin6554]

I seriously doubt that this video will have any effect on your friend’s and family’s opinions. It doesn’t really explain their view well enough

[@leealexander3507]

The conservatives around here know how important it is to vaccinate their horses just like I do. We not only vaccinate them for the usual stuff but for anything going around our area. Because we all understand the importance of vaccines we are vaccinated whether we are on the left or the right. In the city only about 8 miles away it's an entirely different story. They don't have horses and because of that those on the right who watch right wing media are largely unvaccinated. They not only fill up their own hospitals but they also fill up our two small hospitals every time we have a Covid wave.

[@youtubehandle-u2l]

The “vaccine” is only a vaccine in name alone.

[@penguin--]

@@youtubehandle-u2l not necessarily... since a vaccine is defined as something that stimulates the production of antibodies to fight a virus, and the covid vaccine produces a cellular response that produces antibodies to fight coronavirus, the "vaccine" would be a vaccine by definition as well

[@imthecreatorofmyrealitymyf700]

Funny how the left turn the table, when they were the one's screaming that they will not take the vaccine lol

[@St4rTr3v1Ut10n]

The current VP said she wouldn't take the vaccine "if Trump made it." Let me reiterate: the 2nd most powerful person in the world thinks the previous president was going into a lab and messing with beakers and test tubes at a minimum, and at a maximum thinks Trump somehow personally had a hand in making a vaccine that would be harmful to people. Trump, the most unpopular president for only 4 years, at the depth of his popularity, somehow influenced the pharmaceutical industry in some nebulous fashion. Anyone that follows her (you, this channel, and most commenters here) is devoid of sentience.

[@youtubehandle-u2l]

@@penguin-- which definition are we working off of? The newly changed one for this year that enabled Covid to marketed as a vaccine, or the one before that enabled it be labeled moreso as a technical gene therapy. what is rna, man? Isn’t it some of that stuff in your dna? (Sarcasm)

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

This is how journalism is done. Exploring multiple aspects of an issue by looking at facts and verifiable statistics, while resisting the urge to actively push an agenda.

[@cathyl2338]

Yep. Truly enjoyed it.

[@Beebo566]

I feel sad that these people got caught up in politics and lost their lives because of it, it’s easy to mock them and make fun of them, but it’s sad they got caught up in other peoples agendas. I respect him even though I probably disagree with him on a few political things, I respect him for admitting that he’s wrong and changed his mind instead of doubling down. He just got caught up in politics, Hope he’s doing well.

[@monkeydavefraud]

So many are dying now. All cause mortality is up 14 percent. Let's just hope the don't take anymore shots. This is going to be a long sad road of self pity and denial for most of them

[@mariohashiba1500]

This is a brilliant way of communication. Props for that! (and for the educative content).

[@phoenixstormjr.5546]

None of this is educational, he leaves out so much detail, that the truth becomes the exact opposite of what he's claiming.

[@verifiede4125]

@@phoenixstormjr.5546 "I'm a conspiracy theorist crying, it's not educational because it doesn't support my beliefs that I found on a Facebook/Twitter troll post! How absurd, I could never be wrong!" - Summary of Phoenix Storm Jr.'s comment, 2/28/2022, 23 hours prior.

[@BAsed_AFro]

@@verifiede4125 Trick, please. Vaxxers like yourself so desperately want (and need) for the entire lie-based narrative that you were carefully conditioned to believe, to be 100% true. But quite obviously, it's just not. Outright lies and silly fear mongering are all that you people run on.

[@Brandon_388]

@@phoenixstormjr.5546 that is true, the conspiracies mostly came true

[@AdamPippert]

The US is two countries, has been since its inception. The difference between now and earlier times is that the geographic boundaries have blurred due to migration and expansion, but the story has been a stark divide between more urbanized multicultural wealth centers and decentralized rural populations heavily dependent on natural resources and agriculture. America was fortunate enough to have great amounts of wealth make there way to both sides of the population, and now Americans are struggling with the fact that this was a timely anomaly and not a validation of their economic beliefs. If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that our worldview depends heavily on our willingness to trust data, and that math doesn’t care if you don’t believe it’s true.

[@jimbair]

@Bobby Hill Please, go on. Explain what you were told and by whom.

[@saabab1474]

No multicultural nonsense is a new phenomenon New York has always been a outlier because of its Port and later railroad major hihway connectivity and airports most of America was 1 group in each area for instance the Spanish and Mexicans in Santa Fe NM or the English in Virginia

[@AdamPippert]

@@saabab1474 Virginia has been multicultural since the Eastern European indentured servants came to work in Jamestown. That narrative is less true than you would like to believe.

[@BienvenidoAlHoloceno]

The way actual, physical graphs were used in this video was simply mesmerizing!

[@martintuskevicius8084]

I feel like this video did not analyze the part about how conservatives thought the vaccine was exaggerated enough. It spent a lot of time emphasizing that statistic but I think it did not dive deep enough into this. For example, why did it not talk about how deaths are counted and the difference between dying “due to COVID” and dying “with COVID”? That is a huge reason why conservatives think the virus is exaggerated but this video did not talk about it at all.

[@fabsmaster5309]

In addition to the misinformation, I think there are differences in attitudes toward safety between conservatives and liberals. In the weighing the inconvenience of the masks and lockdowns versus the health risk, conservatives were always more willing to take the risk. This will affect your attitudes towards the public health establishment that is pushing the preventative measures and that will make you more skeptical of their push to get vaccinated a year later.

[@TheGerm24]

"I think there are differences in attitudes toward safety between conservatives and liberals. " - The video showed data that attitudes around other vaccines were very similar between conservatives and liberals. There was something specific in the politicization of COVID that caused this problem.

[@verifiede4125]

@@TheGerm24 Politicization of things that aren't meant to be political never ends good. COVID-19 is an example of this, so I think it's just politicalization in GENERAL, not just a specific part of it.

[@Ixaglet]

@@TheGerm24 Could it potentially be that there aren't any long term safety data for these new mRNA vaccines? That's the number one factor for me, when comparing against "traditional" vaccines, many of which have been around for decades and have undergone rigorous long term safety trials?.

[@genslavick]

I can’t speak for all conservatives, and honestly I don’t like either party but I tend to lead right. However, for me. The reason for my “anti vaxx” attitude and I believe a far many would agree with me. It isn’t about new sources pushing “mis information” or echo chambers it’s not even which politician right or left said you should or shouldn’t get it. Remember President Trump did heavily recommend it. But it was and is that the entire government apparatus said do it or else. You don’t tell a country founded on personal choice; “I know better then you and if you don’t like it you no longer have a way to support yourself or your family”. I believe the British tried something like that when we were still a colony and look how that turned out. Just my two cents to this particular comment thread.

[@RaeIsGaee]

@@genslavick Health experts do know better than people, though, and that hadn't ever been an issue in regards to vaccination prior to Covid-19. What is absolutely part of the cause, though, is a generalized hatred for anything labelled as "big", whether that's big guberment, big pharma, etc. It's why fluorine conspiracy theories were prevalent in the 50s and 60s (including today) and was the perfect attitude to exploit by spreading misinformation against "the establishment".

[@AndrewPonti]

That part in the end is what I am most worried about - where more are now resistant to most other vaccines when before the huge majority were not. That's how we kept all those horrible diseases at bay from the past.

[@Ceekayedmusic]

Yeah, if you let the trend continue, you'll soon have a smallpox or a major polio outbreak in your hands. That ought to change people's minds about vaccines, but it's not the optimal way of achieving the goal.

[@doujinflip]

Unfortunately democracies need more dramatic shocks to compel action. Statistics and invisible injuries don't have nearly the same impact as a pictures of people stuck to wheelchairs and iron lungs.

[@ludwigvonmises1911]

Yep. Force is never a good idea to push anything.

[@linusp9316]

@@Ceekayedmusic Smallpox has already been eradicated through vaccination, so that one is gone for good even if the anti-vaccine "movement" continues on. But you are right about the others - we have already seen measles and whooping cough coming back.

[@BAsed_AFro]

“The only thing more frustrating than slanderers are those foolish enough to listen to them.” - Criss Jami

[@s0l1dar1ty]

The production quality of this video was top shelf. Also, listing the sources in the video bio was a nice touch. Keep up the great work!

[@cmntr_]

I agree, although it shouldn't be a nice touch. It should be industry standard.

[@D4ng3rD4n]

I'm watching this while my (unvaccinated, multiple-comorbidity, newly anti-vax) mom is having trouble breathing because she has 'pneumonia' and doesn't want a doctor to tell her she has 'c-19'. I might lose a parent because of this misinformation. So frustrating that I can't convince her to see a doctor or get vaccinated.

[@haidengeary8277]

I bet she uses FB a lot. Thats how a lot of misinformation/paranoia is spread.

[@simoncaron6424]

Sounds like she has other problems like obesity. She should be forced to go on a diet in the name of public health.

[@tsarina24honolulu87]

@@simoncaron6424 not only that but what we eat causes pandemics

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

Not everything is covid depending on her age she might just have pneumonia or other sickness

[@aprilthomas5620]

Did she end up being okay?

[@spielpfan7067]

The next question should be if the deaths of Republicans due to not getting vaccinated influenced the outcome of this year's election in the US.

[@maxheadrom3088]

I'm not from the US and here's what I observed: both sides played really badly.

[@JoonasD6]

That... was an amazing visualisation. (And I wish all public education and media outlets could be at that level.)

[@bradspitt3896]

Are you guys bots? Dafuq. A E S T H E T I C S

[@safeeffective385]

I’ve heard from countless individuals that regret getting the jabs, who stopped getting more. And I've talked to hundreds that have had zero, and not even one regrets their decision. In fact, the vast majority agree that not participating in this is one of the best decisions that we’ve ever made in our lives.

[@godzillaworks4585]

No

[@simplysarah0310]

💯

[@SaintKines]

Well that settles it then. If they had just talked to you and the people you know we could've saved a lot of research and money.

[@safeeffective385]

@@SaintKines In your own words, what exactly is it that you feel that you get out of having the covid vaccines, that those that had none are "missing out" on?

[@SaintKines]

@@safeeffective385 I don't have a degree in any science attached to vaccines period. I had to get a vaccine because I'm in the healthcare profession. My own personal experience is absolutely meaningless with regards to the bigger picture but I caught COVID while not vaccinated and ended up having to call 911 (on myself) for the first time in my life. I couldn't breath after being sick for 9 days straight. My wife and kids showed almost zero symptoms when they caught it. Only a couple people that I know had as bad of a reaction to COVID as I did. I've had COVID twice more since getting a 2 shot vaccine and both times were much much more mild. Were the next 2 times more mild because I had already had COVID, or the vax, or because it was a less aggressive mutation of COVID? or all of the above or just some of the above? I have no idea. I defer to whatever the scientific consensus is because anything else would be me taking random opinions and claims online or data and studies that I'm not qualified to judge the accuracy of as fact instead.

[@juno6]

The great thing about being antivaxx is that you don´t get myocarditis.

[@EmanuelsWorkbench]

I am probably out in left field with this, but my thought on the change of heart from the Republican party on taking the vaccines (i.e. starting to tell folks to get vaccinated) was because they came to the realization that it was their voters that were dying of Covid, not the vaccinated Democrats.... But I am Canadian... What do I know about the inner workings of the Republican Party :-)

[@NickTheNewbie]

I don't think the elected representatives ever actually believed the disinformation they were spreading about the vaccines, I think they were just saying it to appeal to their base.

[@jp1135]

Censorship. Restricting discussion makes some people think there is something nefarious going on. Force/coercion. Restricting peoples personal choices gives them something to fight for.

[@followtheciaence]

Exactly, science is based on debate, not belief. The left has gone into mass psychosis, its a parody of christianity on many levels.

[@Largeicedcoffee777]

I’m so sorry to all the families that experienced preventable deaths due to misinformation.

[@samuelhokanson7560]

I’m sorry to all the people who haven’t seen the FDA releasing 1200 newly discovered side effects to Pfizer vaccine. Just a couple days ago. Big pharma is getting sued and I’m sorry you got lied to by people who make nice sounding videos but they’re literally lying straight to your face

[@Elaineonyt]

@@samuelhokanson7560 I got the Pfizer jabs… no side effects lol

[@Loaf69420]

@@samuelhokanson7560 let me guess, you got this from your "trusting" most likely singular news source FOX?

[@Largeicedcoffee777]

@@samuelhokanson7560 My entire family got Pfizer, we'll let you know when we grow a third arm....

[@Largeicedcoffee777]

@@samuelhokanson7560 Out of curiosity, did you know the side effects of Xeloda??? It's upwards of even more than that, probably in high thousands of sides effects. However it is the drug my grandma took for treatment of her colon cancer. Glad she's here still and the medication worked, just trying to give some perspective.

[@BAsed_AFro]

Biggest "I told you so", in the history of all former "I told you so's!" ever combined.

[@safeeffective385]

hands down

[@ReidMerrill]

What's weird is before the pandemic, being anti-vax was slightly more common among liberals than conservatives.

[@penngheeney]

I was really hoping Vox would mention that in this video!

[@polaromonas]

Really? Like anti-vax in general or anti COVID vaccine? I remember seeing people wouldn’t trust “Trump vaccine”. But I find it hard to believe that liberals were anti-vaccine I general.

[@hs5312]

@@polaromonas it is true democrats were more anti vax before the pandemic

[@penngheeney]

@@hs5312 Or, at least, it was more common for anti-vaxxers to be Dems or left leaning.

[@djb903]

You lost me at the both sides argument at the end about polarization... Whose responsibility is it to have a "unified message" if one side is the one actively undermining their own administration's message??

[@aliens566]

Democrats turned it into a political issue when they began forcing public and private businesses to fire people for not taking the jab.

[@djb903]

@@aliens566 biden's mandate was struck down, any private companies with mandatory vaccination policies did so on their own, public employees always had the option to opt out with testing or medical waiver.

[@Jacob_Spang]

@@aliens566 last I checked the republican misinformation hub of fox news was the ones sowing the distrust in the vaccine.

[@filmgirlLisa]

@@aliens566 It was a political issue well before Biden. Surely you must see that.

[@Roach18]

Bruh, politics are killing people now?

[@johnsheehy4192]

Population density spreads viruses faster. Before this pandemic of "unlearning basic virology", everyone knew that one's riskiest encounter with a new virus is THE FIRST encounter. Since so many people in the blue cities had their first encounter in 2020, it was mainly Republican areas in 2021 where most of the FIRST ENCOUNTERS, the ones most likely to result in death, would be expected, even if the intervention worked and uptake was the same across parties.

[@safeeffective385]

@@johnsheehy4192 The densely-populated heart of Africa with >1B people also had little to no covid jabs, has had very low rates of covid sickness/death, and “long covid”. So does that make them “Republicans” as well?

[@joshuasalem5022]

It really goes all the back to Wakefield if we’re being honest

[@Captain_Fantasy]

The anti-vaccine movement started during the smallpox vaccine. Go ahead and make up your own history though rather than learn from reality.

[@prayformojo1117]

@@Captain_Fantasy Hardly anyone who is alive today witnessed the push back against small pox vaccination. This modern episode was started by garbage like Wakefield and McCarthy.

[@sstrange1973]

Wakefield may be indirectly responsible for more than a million deaths at this point.

[@777Skeptic]

@@Captain_Fantasy You're right, but take a chill pill. We can't all be perfect like you.

[@safe-keeper1042]

@@Captain_Fantasy if we're going to be pedantic, there have been antivaxxers as long as there have been vaccines. However, it did not really gain traction in our time until Wakefield, Jenny McCarthy, et al. They have a lot of lives on their hands.

[@GiantPetRat]

Abigail Thorn from Philsophy Tube just published a video about unvaccinated people a day or two ago. She eloquently and sensitively articulates a lot of the reasoning folks have had for not getting them. Worth a look.

[@uwotmate-d3m]

He*

[@Niels901]

​@@uwotmate-d3m *She* is a trans women, not sure if you just saw her old videos and just didnt know

[@LearnMed472]

This didn't age well

[@SilverEye91]

How so?

[@johnsheehy4192]

It was garbage when it was released. This video uses all the junk science - a cherry picked individual shown, while begging the question that the shots would have made a difference, intentionally omitting "knatcherall m-moonity" from the conversation, which Republicans had much less of than Democrats going into Delta, etc. In the time that has elapsed since this video, cumulative totals do not vary very much by politics, because the virus has gotten to just about everyone multiple times now. If you had an animated map where you showed every C death as a red dot, by day since Mar 2020, you'd see the big cities light up near the beginning, and more spread-out dots afterwards, away from the Cities. Basic viral epidemiology, based on population density and modes of transportation, with no need for a pharmaceutical/political explanation, whatsoever.

[@matttheautomator]

This aged poorly

[@gminors]

This video is excellent. Beautifully presented, well structured, and informative. Give Joss a raise!

[@BAsed_AFro]

“The Kool aid only works, if everyone drinks it.” - Jim Jones 1978

[@jaxonl7810]

Look who’s talking

[@TactileCoder]

"random nonsensical quote that was never said" - QAnon Edgelord

[@mescellaneous]

the utopia they all want

[@PresidentJeanAuguste]

Ah, America.

[@dregonzz]

I sent this video to my girlfriend, she sent it to one of her unvaccinated friends, and that friend promptly made an appointment to get the vaccine. You are doing amazing work! Thank you :)

[@oldshampoo]

wow

[@yassplay-inanut1407]

Weird, it's called united state but its divided, huh? How do you change a countries name?

[@nbibby]

I can’t help but think that the US voter registration process (not voting processes) that requires a declaration of your political affiliation is part of the US problem of extreme partisan divides. This seems to result in non political situations, like responding to pathogen, becoming political because everyone has been herded into opposing camps even before the new situation has presented itself. It’s madness effectively “picking a team” and apparently having to support your team regardless of who is playing or how they are playing when unlike sport it has real and sometimes fatal consequences. Why should anyone be forced to declare a political allegiance in advance of knowing what this really means in real terms?

[@todelmore9232]

i think thats just cuz they dont want people to vote in both primaries

[@Arjay404]

@@todelmore9232 All that would need to happen is have the parties combine their database on that, just like how you can't vote twice in the election or if you do you will be found out, just do that for primaries. Really that fear is not valid, because the solution already exists.

[@gamingyoutubernoonan0108]

Nothing from Vox about the Freedom Convoy protest in Canada. There might be one here in the United States of America.

[@gamingyoutubernoonan0108]

Waiting to see how that turns out.

[@thorpower1015]

Bless the truckers

[@miarabea401]

This two party system is really damaging aswell. In Germany we also have a right wing party whose supporters partially believe in covid conspiracies and are against the vaccine but at least this party only got 10 percent of the votes. The Conservative party and the other parties are mainly pro vaccine. But we still only have 75% fully vaccinated and 57% boostered so I guess we are not the best example:(

[@ericjenny13]

what party was it?

[@followtheciaence]

So did 18% of them get too sick from the initial shots to get the booster?

[@followtheciaence]

@@ericjenny13 AfD most likely

[@nikoclesceri2267]

As someone on the right let me explain to you something Very basic about most of us. We are not anti-vax we are anti-mandate, we don’t think people should have to choose between their ability to provide for their family or get a vaccine that doesn’t work and they’ll have to get again in 2-4 months.

[@Acontinouslean]

You clearly didn't watch the video and look at the data. Majority of deaths are Republican and red states . It's due to the misinformation from their news sources.

[@hi-db7in]

“we arent anti vax” “to get a vaccine that doesnt work”

[@BAsed_AFro]

@@Acontinouslean >70% of American blacks are not participating in this experiment either. So, are they all "Republicans" as well? lol Also, try to grasp that this is a global initiative being pushed in >190 countries simultaneously... so has nothing at all to do with "Republicans vs Democrats" or any other such lie-based silliness.

[@hs5312]

The vaccine does prevent severe illness and hospitalization just because it doesn’t stop the spread, does mean it doesn’t work

[@BAsed_AFro]

@@hs5312 There is no evidence proving that it prevents illness and hospitalization. In April, 2021 we were told that single dose vaccine would be 100% effective against severe covid19 per the CDC, and 95.3% effective against severe covid19 per the FDA. Quite obviously, that was not true either! My jab'd up roommate and I had and got over covid in all of 5 days and our symptoms were exactly the same. I've also since heard from countless other such "mixed" households that experienced the exact same thing, no difference at all in symptoms.

[@yosh7473]

they won't even watch the video before disliking it, anytime there's an obvious mistake from the right they never ever take credit

[@seanmccurry3734]

Both side are same even the right controls the left. Look out for sos of Iowa that's running

[@muhammadHassan-kj1jy]

The right and left are 2 sides of the same coin

[@carpo719]

Not all who disagree are conservative. Thats pert of the problem. Folks assume.

[@AnymMusic]

let's be real, the same happens an awful lot on the left as well if it doesn't benefit their agenda like on the right. every political party will twist words and double down on things

[@muhammadHassan-kj1jy]

@@stereomachine Im not an American. When i look at American politics this is what i see.

[@FalconsEye58094]

The fact that maturity has become a subjective word, and people in their 50s and up are getting in the same kind of fights and politically charged arguments you expect from teenagers

[@jmoney0448]

This is a fantastic video. Great visuals, pacing. Great job!

[@christianjohnson8036]

the people who need to watch this will refuse to watch this

[@rwernest]

Great video. It leaves me with desperation to understand why people believe that the death toll is so exaggerated. In my own experience, this is the most common reason I hear from people in my life and I would love to have some intelligent response.

[@scionace9523]

I agree. I was one of the people that thought that this was overblown, but when life stopped and the knock-on effects it did on my locale and getting Covid as well, that's when I realized it was no joke. All of our household got it but thankfully, it was not grave enough to warrant getting carted to the Hospital. I think for a lot of people, and that's including me, there's this pervading mindset that what doesn't affect you is insignificant. I think that's why there's a lot of people that didn't believe the vaccines would work, until they got the virus as well. I got hit twice, first by Delta, then by Omicron. And that's even with following all the rules about facemasks and facshields (Here in PH, they require those in tandem), and I'm a stay-at-home guy. But I can say that even with just my first dose, I weathered Omicron much much better than I did from when I got Delta. But alas, even here in PH, antivaxxing started gaining traction. I can only hope that our experiences these past few years will not be buried under a rubble of misinformation.

[@human-tk2fo]

Well, I knew one person who died of Covid, and he was very old and had health problems already, and since I know a lot of old people one person dying in two full years is actually very low, many others similarly haven't experienced the deaths, and if you don't know where the numbers are coming from or you don't trust the hospitals to be honest when they get additional funding for deaths marked as Covid related, then the numbers might not mean anything to you. Thanks for asking, open conversation is the best way to understand one another

[@joshuapowers4623]

@@human-tk2fo hospitals didn't get extra funding for deaths marked as covid. They got extra funding because the US has the only completely for profit healthcare industry in the developed world. As a result hospitals have streamlined thier care & services so drastically for the past cpl decades that they're literally incapable of coping with anything more than a couple percent fluctuation in patients over the course of a year. Covid created 100‘s of percent increases in patients in a matter of weeks and the whole thing collapsed, that why the got emergency funding. Not because of what a death certificate said. The really sad part of all this is that conservative media & politicians have taken legitimate ire for the greed of pharmaceutical companies & the health industry in general and refocused it towards the actual medicine & health professionals. Because they will NEVER oppose the profits.

[@edwarddodge7937]

The death toll is perceived as exaggerated because everyone watching this video assumes all the Covid death statistics were people on ventilators like the the few cases they highlight here. But the truth is that any death from any cause imaginable was counted as a Covid death even if Covid wasn’t the cause. Death statistics from all the usual suspects like heart disease and cancer went down in proportion to Covid death statistics going up.

[@scottwallbank4794]

@@human-tk2fo You're encapsulating the problem exactly by spreading incorrect statements regarding additional revenue for reporting covid deaths. The US experienced over 1m excess deaths during the pandemic. So what killed all these extra people over standard annual deaths if it wasn't covid?

[@siegfriedkircheis9484]

Huge assumption that conservatives significantly take Fox's editorialized takes as their opinion as opposed to alt media

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

That's only the first half of the story. The second half presents data that refutes that claim, but somehow acts like that wasn't presented.

[@siegfriedkircheis9484]

@@lynxghost.7012 Trusting a channel does not imply incorporation of that channel's pundit's opinions as your own

[@Levitiy]

We're not vaccine hesitant. We reject it without hesitation.

[@linusp9316]

I support right-wing people who reject seat belts, airbags, and motorcycle helmets too. Freedumb!

[@Furry_Wall]

My little cousin is afraid of needles too like you are

[@hs5312]

Actually it is about half and half, some straight up reject while others are on the wait and see mindset with the vaccine

[@PresidentJeanAuguste]

@@linusp9316 classic America at its finest.

[@filmgirlLisa]

I think maybe you could think about why you reject without hesitation or why even if you got new information against what you believe that it would not deter or change your opinion. There's a science behind that.

[@BAsed_AFro]

The heart of Africa with >1B people also had little to no jabs. Are you trying to say that they are all “conservative right wingers” as well?