The Association of COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination Rates in Florida.

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Political Science

Background:

• Understanding the interplay between public health interventions and sociopolitical factors is crucial for effective disease control.
• Florida's diverse demographics and political landscape provide a unique setting to study these associations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates and 2020 presidential election voting preferences in Florida counties.
• To examine the moderating role of demographic and socioeconomic factors on these associations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Poisson regression to analyze associations between COVID-19 infection/vaccination rates and county-level political, demographic, and economic data.
• Data included infection and vaccination counts through September 2021 and 2020 presidential election results for Florida counties.

Main Results:

• A 1% increase in county vaccination rates was associated with 82.47 fewer COVID-19 infections per 100,000 (April-September 2021).
• Higher county vaccination rates were the most significant determinant of lower infection rates.
• Increased Republican vote share in 2020 was linked to higher infection rates and lower vaccination rates.

Conclusions:

• County-level COVID-19 vaccination rates are inversely associated with infection rates.
• Political preference in the 2020 election significantly correlates with county-level COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates.