Sen. Rubio: Coronavirus Vaccine Hesitancy Isn’t ‘Partisan’

Topline

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Wednesday claimed vaccine hesitancy is now now not “partisan,” despite polling exhibiting Republicans are overwhelmingly extra reluctant to derive a coronavirus shot than Democrats.

Senator Marco Rubio, R-FL, speaks actual by a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and … [+] Transportation affirmation listening to on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 21, 2021. (Photo by Graeme Jennings / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GRAEME JENNINGS/POOL/AFP by design of Getty Photos)

POOL/AFP by design of Getty Photos

Key Info

Asked by CBS’ Anthony Mason whether Republicans desires to be “doing extra” to convince “skeptical constituents” to derive immunized, Rubio answered, “Successfully, I don’t gain the skepticism is correct among Republicans.”

Mason pointed to a most up-to-date CBS/YouGov poll that realized 29% of Republicans suppose they obtained’t derive vaccinated, in comparison to correct 6% of Democrats.

“Here is in overall now now not a partisan insist,” Rubio answered, including, “I don’t care what the polling says.”

Rubio stated he knew of “African American and Hispanic communities in Florida” where there’s a “high hesitancy to derive vaccinated for slightly a pair of different causes.”

Predominant Quote

“On the discontinue of the day, the vaccine is the vaccine and right here’s a human thing, and both you get hang of it otherwise you don’t,” Rubio stated. “There are some people that don’t need to derive vaccinated and you obtained’t convince them.”

Key Background

Polling has persistently confirmed Republicans are among the most skeptical of coronavirus vaccines of any neighborhood within the country. On the ground proof tells a the same memoir: all of the 18 states that reached President Biden’s goal of in part or fully vaccinating 70% of their adults by July 4 voted for him in 2020. Black and Latino Americans proceed to trot slack whites in vaccinations, though the disparity is now now not as extreme because the vaccine political divide.

What To Request For

Republicans possess confronted newfound rigidity to encourage their constituents to derive vaccinated because the Delta variant drives a surge in infections across the country. Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has led a concerted effort by Republicans to decrease shot hesitancy, at the same time as some members of the occasion proceed to float vaccine conspiracy theories. Early within the interview, Rubio strongly urged Americans to derive vaccinated at the same time as he argued it turned into as soon as now now not the “government’s fault” some people haven’t gotten a shot. Fox Data, the trot-to community for conservatives, has additionally made a push to trip its viewers to derive inoculated amid rising criticism of the community’s vaccine coverage.