Adjusting for population, the death rate is now about eight times higher in America than in the rest of the rich world.
A slowdown in vaccinations in the country is largely to blame. In America, vaccines have been widely available to all adults since mid-April. Yet today, more than five months later, only 67% of those aged 18 or over are fully vaccinated, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. In some states, scarcely half of adults have received their full doses. Surveys suggest that, although some Americans might be persuaded to get a jab, others are adamantly against it. The latest weekly poll from YouGov, carried out on behalf of The Economist, finds that 16% of American adults, including 12% of those over 65, say they will not get vaccinated.
The latest wave may now be starting to abate: cases, which typically precede deaths by about two weeks, are on the decline. But the virus is not going away. America’s antipathy to vaccines and continued resistance to other interventions, particularly among Republicans, is worrying. YouGov’s poll indicates that, among those who voted for Donald Trump in 2020, 31% say they will not get vaccinated, 71% strongly disapprove of President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate and nearly 40% never wear a face mask. That remains a deadly combination.