GOP Doctors Target Vaccine Hesitancy, Says Shot Will End Restrictions (businessinsider.com)
GOP doctors in Congress are targeting vaccine hesitancy with a video that says the shot will help 'end the government's restrictions on our freedoms'
- Polls show Republicans are more likely to not want a COVID-19 vaccine.
- A group of GOP lawmakers, who are also doctors, are encouraging people to get the shot.
- Vaccine hesitancy could stop or slow the US from reaching herd immunity, experts say.
Americans who identify as Republicans are less likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine, prompting GOP lawmakers to address the issue in a public service announcement released this week.
The
video features a group of Republican members of Congress who are also doctors or other healthcare providers, some donning white coats, urging Americans to get vaccinated.
"It's obvious to me from a medical standpoint, the only way to protect ourselves and your loved ones," says Rep. Greg Murphy.
"And to end the government's restrictions on our freedoms," Rep. Larry Bucshon continues, "is to take action and get the vaccine."
Experts have warned that vaccine hesitancy could stop the US from reaching herd immunity, which requires an estimated 70% of people to have immunity to COVID-19,
Insider's Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce reported. As vaccine supply swells in the US, some healthcare providers are running out of people interested in taking the shot, even prompting some mass-vaccination sites to close.
Republicans have especially shown hesitation toward getting vaccinated, despite some GOP leaders, including former president Donald Trump, getting vaccinated and talking up the shots. Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell urged Republican men to get vaccinated last month after polls showed the group was especially hesitant.
Recent polls have shown nearly half of Americans who identify as Republicans do not plan to get vaccinated. One poll found white Republicans are more likely than any other group to turn down the shot,
Insider's Andrea Michelson reported.
Even as more than
100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated, an
analysis by The New York Times last month found that counties that voted for Trump had disproportionately low vaccination rates.
In the new PSA, the lawmakers touted the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines and praised Trump's Operation Warp Speed for their development in record time.
"The process was rigorous and transparent," Rep. Brian Babin said, with Rep. Andy Harris adding, "the FDA did not skip any steps."
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