Republicans are owning the Dems by not getting flu shots. Huge gap of 25%.

[Demovictory9]

gap between Republicans and Democrats on flu shots is 20 percentage-points bigger than it was pre-pandemic

Recent polls show a 25 percentage-point gap between Republicans and Democrats who've gotten or will get a flu shot.
This is remarkably similar to the approximately 30 percentage-point partisan gap on COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was little to no partisan gap on influenza vaccine uptake.


Recent polls show Republicans are now much less likely to get a flu shot
than they were before the COVID

Recent polls show Republicans are now much less likely to get a
flu shot than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that the politicization of the coronavirus vaccines is bleeding over into the flu immunization.

In the years prior to the global pandemic, Republicans and Democrats were similarly likely to get an annual influenza shot, CNN recently pointed out. In a February 2020 AP-NORC poll, 58% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans said they'd gotten a flu shot in the past year.

This year, between 65 and 68% of Democrats say they have gotten or will almost certainly get a flu shot, while between 40 and 44% of Republicans said they have or will get vaccinated against the flu, recent polls show. A UC San Diego study published last spring found that Republicans had become less likely to say they'd get a flu shot during the pandemic.

https://www.businessinsider.com/theres-a-25-point-gap-between-republicans-democrats-flu-shots-2021-11

[elleng]

1. 'owning the Dems?'

[Demovictory9]

2. that's my take.

[NJCher]

4. Need to add

Sarcasm thingie

[Blues Heron]

18. it's not sarcasm

they really are politicized and it's spilling over into flu vaccinations!

[no_hypocrisy]

6. "Owning"?

By refusing to vax, here are the potential harms:

1. Catching Covid and dying

2. Catching Covid and living with permanent physical disabilities and health issues

3. Catching Covid and passing the virus to someone else who will suffer either #1 or #2

4. Catching Covid and developing a human petrie dish with a new (perhaps more deadly) variant which will be circulated into the population

5. Serendipity:
A. Catching Covid and nothing happens or
B. Not catching Covid at all

Not good odds just for "owning Democrats".

[gab13by13]

11. It's about flu shots.

[no_hypocrisy]

12. OK, my bad.

OTOH, I would imagine that the initial symptoms of influenza and Covid are similar. Getting a flu shot would make it easier to diagnosis one pathology from another.

[gab13by13]

21. I had a Covid test before I got the flu shot

and the test came back negative for Covid and the flu. I wasn't aware the test also checked for the flu.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. Things have evolved so much with covid.who knows. I distinctly

remember at the beginning, people tested for normal flu first. And they only tested for covid if the flu test came back negative.

Was the test you took administered by the same people who gave you the flu shot? Like that's their typical routine?

[AllyCat]

36. The 2 tests now run off the same swab

If ordered by the doc

[PJMcK]

14. As a lifelong Democrat

When a Republican refuses any vaccine, they’ve owned themselves with the incumbent illness and death.

How are the non-vaccinated proving anything except their own foolishness?

[Kablooie]

3. I Maybe they should just stop getting medical care for everything.

I mean god gave you your illness. Who are you to go against gods will?
And they’ve been wanting to take away government medical insurance for years now.

Wouldn’t bother me at this point.

[Irish_Dem]

25. They will be the first ones taking up hospital beds if the flu makes them very ill.

Preventing the vexed from getting care.

[John Ludi]

5. I got mine yesterday

partially to own THEM.

(But mostly to not get the flu.)

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Equivalent to naked puts, freebasing, DUI, unprotected sex

Can you stop them? Do you want to?

DoubleRisk immune booster - flu and covid, perfect together, perhaps forever.

Gimme, gimme, gimme a can after midnight, nothing can stand in our way!

[ashredux]

9. LOL....Naked Puts...

Talk about get your ass handed to ya…..

[bucolic_frolic]

13. It's what uber-wealthy dudes who live in castles do

but only on an earnings plunge

[ashredux]

15. Not the really Big Boys...mostly people who have a "Gambling Mentality"...

Market Cowboys…

[Evolve Dammit]

16. what is it?? Never heard that term before

[bucolic_frolic]

20. Which term?

[Evolve Dammit]

42. "naked puts". It was explained by another poster!

[PJMcK]

31. Naked puts is new to me, too

"A naked put is an options strategy in which the investor writes, or sells, put options without holding a short position in the underlying security.'

If you're interested, here's a bit more:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/nakedput.asp

ETA: I think it means a really high-risk play to make a financial killing. Stupid, like freebasing, unprotected sex and Russian Roulette.

[Evolve Dammit]

41. thanks. I am now enlightened. I was thinking golf!

[bucolic_frolic]

43. I recall them being discussed on CNBC in the 90s

You really need loads of capital for a broker to allow you to write naked puts. It was discussed about a stock that plunged to around 45 from 90 if I remember correctly. Someone wrote the 40 puts which brings in premium (money), and then invested that cash into 55 calls. So when the stock bounced to 60 from the crash, they made a bundle. And they hadn't put up a dime. So it was someone who really knew what they were doing and had the assets to back it up. Because if the stock went to 30, they'd be on the hook for 15 points.

Also it was common to hear about long call option positions where someone seemed to know of a takeover, and sure enough they nailed it. SEC would investigate and find the owner at an untraceable Cayman Islands PO Box. Nothing more would happen.

But with crypto, I'm sure the whole system is cleaned up now.

[ExciteBike66]

8. If Ivermectin was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me!

I'm perfectly fine with republicans failing to protect themselves...

[BlueJac]

17. Come on! Nobody owns me!

[Walleye]

19. It is reaching Monty Python level of ridiculousness

[Laura PourMeADrink]

33. They have no well-intentioned leaders to tell them what

to do. They literally have leaders like trump and desantis and abbott practicing reverse leadership.

[plimsoll]

38. It's been the argument sketch for a few decades now.

I think Ted Cruz just tried to switch to turn it into a pet shop in Bolton.

[appleannie1]

22. Good thing I got mine. Live in rural GOP land.

I also wear a mask while out in public and carry hand sanitizer with me. I never even got my yearly bronchitis last year because of just those two things.

[Lonestarblue]

23. Republicans have created a monster. They are killing their own base.

Now that Republicans have caused their followers to reject vaccines, I suspect that fewer of them will also have their children vaccinated—for anything. So they will welcome back measles,,which does kill some children, whooping cough, mumps, etc.—all the childhood diseases that had been virtually wiped out in the US with early vaccinations.

This winter could be tough, with those refusing both Covid and flu shots facing the possibility of double illness. I can’t imagine getting over both at the same time. But if they think they’re owning the libs by getting sick and dying, so be it. I doubt any of us feel owned, or are even particularly concerned about them. They have an easy means to prevent a serious illness but refuse to use it, so the consequences are on them.

The government needs to stop paying the hospital bills for Covid and let insurance take over fully. That might create some attitude changes pretty quickly as insurance premiums are raised rapidly to cover costs.

[LiberalFighter]

40. At this point in time I'm okay with Republicans owning Democrats.

With the result of fewer of them.

I agree that those not vaccinated should pay their own medical costs or by their insurance.

Their insurance premiums don't need to be raised. There are other ways the insurance company can raise their costs. Raise the maximum out of pocket. Increase the copays, co- insurance, deductibles. Limit what is covered. Higher coverage if they also have other vaccines. Lower coverage if family members are not vaccinated.

Maybe cemeteries should also ban burial of anyone dying from Covid unless they are cremated. I would be okay with this.

[Bucky]

24. What's wrong with 40-44% of Republicans? Don't they love America enough to needlessly get sick?

[Irish_Dem]

26. It is not about love, it is about hate.

The hate the government, women, people of color, and Dems.

[Walleye]

35. They love America, they just hate the people

[American Interregnum]

27. Owning the Dems by Killing Republicans

To which I say, "Carry on!"

[tavernier]

29. The biggest reason this concerns me is that

babies born to moron parents may not now get their immunizations where as before most young parents pretty much followed their pediatrician’s advice on infant health care.

[traitorsgalore]

30. GOPlague, the disease-carrying party that calls everyone commies

What a nice group of people, lol.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. I think we have to be careful not to lump all Republicans together on this subject

Just like we mistakenly lump all 1-6 attendees as terrorists ( some were just plain old dopes).

I'm currently stuck in a very deep red area in Texas. My observation of these people is that yes, of course, some are nutty trumpers and are motivated by lunacy.

But many, many are completely oblivious to the subject of politics and global health issues. They are low info people. And they care very little about society in general. Their brain does not go there.

And they definitely give people they know a pass. Even when the unvaccinated pass covid to them!. "Oh he felt sick and infected him unknowingly" is what I heard at a covid funeral. And the person was there, no apparent remorse or shame. It's inexplicable in my world view.

And even educated people think if you know and love someone they are ok to be around.

It's all the strangest phenomenon I have ever experienced

[NoMoreRepugs]

34. Personal FreeDUMB on display.

[Celerity]

37. ...

[nycbos]

39. I got my flu shot last month.

And my COVID booster last week.

[ratchiweenie]

44. Thinning the herd.

[Duppers]

45. I think Republicans should "own the libs"

By playing Russian roulette!

[gulliver]

46. It should be a good wedge issue...

...to pry the saner Republicans away from their nincompoop base. The vaccinated earned some freedom from covid and the flu, but Republican yahoos drag us down