*Thursday night on Fox News, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was asked about the surge in coronavirus cases. Well, looking for a scapegoat for his and his boss, Governor Greg Abbott‘s totally inept handling and politicizing of the epidemic, the Republican said that “African Americans who have not been vaccinated” are “the biggest group in most states” contributing to the spike.
Laura Ingraham had asked Patrick to respond to criticism from Democrats that covid-19 cases and deaths were on the rise in Texas because of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s policies. The governor has resisted public health mandates aimed at mitigating the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. He announced Tuesday that he had tested positive for the virus despite being fully vaccinated.
Patrick acknowledged that “covid is spreading” and that infections are largely among people who have not received the vaccine, the Washington Post reported.
“Democrats like to blame Republicans on that,” Patrick said. “Well, the biggest group in most states are African Americans who have not been vaccinated. The last time I checked, over 90 percent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties.”
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Needless to say, the Lt. Governor’s comments were met with criticism as some observed that his assertion was completely unfounded.
Here’s what the Post reported:
The latest data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows that the African American population there is not driving the increase in cases. Black residents in Texas accounted for 16.4 percent of the state’s cases and 10.2 percent of deaths as of Aug. 13. Black people make up about 13 percent of the state’s population, according to census data.
While vaccination rates are low among Black Texans, the highest coronavirus case rates are among Whites and Hispanics. Non-Hispanic White people, who make up about 41 percent of the state’s population, make up 34.9 percent of covid cases and 41.1 percent of deaths, as of August 13. Hispanics, who account for almost 40 percent of the Texas population, make up 35.8 percent of the state’s cases and 46.1 percent of deaths.
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