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Letter

Separate Your Voting Decisions from Your Health Decisions

These death rate disparities by political party weren’t present before COVID vaccines were available

By Stephanie Brancati

Last month’s numbers for COVID deaths show an alarming trend along political party lines. Nationwide, in counties that voted for Trump in 2020, there were three times the number of COVID deaths (25 per 100,000) as there were in counties that voted for Biden (7.8 per 100,000). The death tally gap between party lines has grown faster in October of this year than in any month up to this point, and October was the fifth consecutive month with a widening gap.

There’s also a gap along party lines in vaccination rate. These death rate disparities by political party weren’t present before COVID vaccines were available. This distinction is important because it’s proof of how effective Covid vaccines are.

As of Nov. 7, one in every 441 Montanans has died from Covid. These numbers would have been unthinkable a decade ago. Why are we accepting it now?

Vote how you wish, but please separate voting decisions from decisions about your health and the health of your community. Protect yourself. Protect your community. Those are American values. You can do that from any political party.

Stephanie Brancati
Big Arm