>>509092754After COVID-19 vaccines became widely available (post-May 2021), political affiliationโspecifically being a Republicanโshowed a stronger correlation with excess COVID-19 deaths than race, based on peer-reviewed studies.
Political Affiliation & Excess Deaths
Study: Political Affiliation and Excess Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Florida and Ohio
Source: JAMA Internal Medicine, July 2023
Link: jamanetwork.com
Key Findings:
After May 1, 2021, Republicans had a 43% higher excess death rate than Democrats.
The gap was wider in low-vaccination counties.
Based on 538,159 individual-level death records.
โWell-documented differences in vaccination attitudes and uptake between Republican and Democratic voters may have been a major factor.โ
Race & Excess Deaths
Source: CDC MMWR, Jan 2022
Link: cdc.gov
Key Findings:
Racial disparities in death rates remained post-vaccine, especially for Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations.
However, gaps narrowed in many states as vaccination rates improved in minority communities.
No major studies quantify excess deaths post-vaccine by race with the same individual-level precision.
Conclusion
Post-vaccine, political affiliation became a stronger and more measurable predictor of excess COVID-19 deaths than raceโlargely due to differences in vaccine uptake and public health behavior. Race still mattered, but the partisan divide was sharper in the vaccine era.