Oklahoma Had The Most Covid Deaths Per Capita In 2021
In a not-so-shocking report, Oklahoma lands at the top of the list having had the most Covid-19 related deaths per capita in 2021. It's not a surprise given we're among the lowest vaccinated population of people in the country with some of the most non-existent social distancing policies throughout our metro areas.
This is a story I stumbled across, and when the numbers are compared to actual data, it's all true.
What should and shouldn't be the biggest bombshell is the fact that Oklahoma is one of the lesser vaccinated states in the nation. Just over 53% of all Oklahomans have been fully vaccinated. That stat puts us at #39 on the list of vaccinated states.
All the same, so you don't get the idea I'm shilling for Big Pharma trying to sway you into doing what you should have last year, the most vaccinated state in America is Vermont. Just over 77% of their population is fully vaccinated, so the statistical difference there isn't a whole lot. The last remaining holdouts in Vermont are mostly children and youths waiting their turn, and Baby Boomers that are still confused about how vaccinations and herd immunity works.
On the lower side, Idaho is ranked at #51 on the list with only 46.19% of the population fully vaccinated as of December 30th in this report.
I'm still the moderate libertarian I've always been... Get your vaccine if you want, don't if you don't want to. It's still an individual choice as of right now, as it should have always been.
Personally, I opted for the vaccine when I could since I see my grandma so much. She's 91 and I enjoy taking her out to eat and to grab groceries pretty often, so why wouldn't I have done everything possible to protect her?
With the new Omicron and IHU variants now having their heyday entering Pandemic: Part Three, I'll be opting for my booster the moment Sam's Club lets me.
I'm not convinced the vaccines are the long and short of it either. Sure, states with the most vaccine participation are seeing less deaths, but these are also states that still have minimum Covid-19 social distancing requirements. Nothing like shutting down whole economies like we tried in the beginning, but they seem to be finding success in limited populations in public places like restaurants and junk. Meetings have moved back online. People are able to work from home again to limit interaction at the office. These are all things that haven't existed in Oklahoma since we hit record low cases last summer and collectively decided the pandemic was over, returning everything to normal.
Of course, that brief period of normalcy only lasted a few weeks before we started seeing higher numbers of cases than we did during Pandemic: Part One in 2020... Honestly, I think social distancing would do more to combat this virus than vaccination will... but there's no easy way to implement that still. Even if adults can keep their distance, our kids can't.
I'm still not going to recommend you do or don't get a vaccine for yourself, it's your decision. I would ask though, to look into the hard data provided above and do what you think is best for yourself and those around you. While I love seeing our state listed as #1 in pretty much anything, having the most covid deaths while having the least covid awareness is just depressing.