Flu, other shots becoming a partisan matter, survey reveals

NEWS AND OPINION:

Americans are pondering their annual flu shot along with a new COVID-19 vaccine at the moment. It’s complicated. And yes, there are partisan differences here.

“Larger shares of eligible people expect to get an annual flu shot and a newly recommended vaccine for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) than plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine. For example, most adults (58%) say that they have already gotten or expect to get a flu shot, and most adults ages 60 and older (60%) say they have already gotten or expect to get the new RSV vaccine (recommended for their age group),” the Kaiser Family Foundation reports in an analysis of the complex findings.

“As has been true throughout the pandemic, a much smaller share of Republicans (24%) than Democrats (70%) expect to get the new COVID-19 vaccine – a 46 percentage point gap,” the foundation said in an analysis.

“There are smaller, but still considerable, partisan divisions in intentions for these vaccines than for the COVID-19 shot: for example, 76% of Democrats and 51% of Republicans expect to get or have already gotten a flu shot this fall (a 25-percentage point gap), while among those ages 60 and older, 79% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans expect to get or having already gotten an RSV vaccine (a 38-percentage point gap),” it noted.

Some are more worried than others about the whole process.

“Republicans are also less likely than Democrats to be confident that each of three vaccines are safe, with the biggest divide for the COVID-19 vaccine (84% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans are confident it is safe),” the foundation noted.

See more numbers and the poll particulars in the Poll du Jour at the column’s end.

THE ‘OUST’ PRESS

Rep. Matt Gaetz revealed Sunday that he plans to “oust” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the coming days. The Florida Republican earned much press in the immediate aftermath of his announcement, and “oust” became the buzzword of the moment, and in dozens of reports.

A few headlines of note:

“McCarthy vows to survive oust threat for avoiding shutdown” (Reuters); “Matt Gaetz plans vote to oust Kevin McCarthy after Speaker avoids shutdown” (Wall Street Journal); “Gaetz plans move to oust McCarthy, says GOP needs new leader” (Roll Call); “Gaetz says he will seek to oust McCarthy as speaker this week. ‘Bring it on,’ McCarthy says” (Associated Press); “Republican hardliner moves to oust Kevin McCarthy over deal to avert shutdown” (Financial Times); “Pelosi reacts to Gaetz’s plan to oust McCarthy” (CNN); “McCarthy Shrugs off Gaetz’s threat to oust him as House Speaker” (Forbes); “Rep. Jason Smith calls Gaetz’s push to oust McCarthy a ‘waste of time’” (The Hill); and “Nancy Pelosi mocks Matt Gaetz threat to oust Kevin McCarthy” (Mediaite).

THE MEGHAN EFFECT

Some news of note about the Success of Sussex from the Daily Mail. Here’s a simple quote from the British newspaper which explains it all.

“She has made no secret about her left-leaning politics and belief that women can change the world. So it may come as no surprise that Meghan Markle’s name was being bandied about in Hollywood last night as a long-shot replacement for Californian Senator Dianne Feinstein,” the Mail said in a report released Sunday.

“Indeed, within minutes of 90-year-old Feinstein’s death being announced on Friday, the Mail on Sunday was told ‘phones lit up’ with speculation the Duchess of Sussex could throw her hat in the ring to serve out the remaining 13 months of Feinstein’s term,” the report said.

“Meghan is definitely a long shot but in the craziness that is U.S. politics these days it’s not an impossibility,” noted a source that the Daily Mail described as “a major Democratic donor who is close to Californian Governor Gavin Newsom,” the man who will choose Ms. Feinstein’s replacement.

MEANWHILE IN NEW JERSEY

Climate change alarms have gone off in the state of New Jersey, now set to introduce environmental thinking to its youngest residents.

“To support New Jersey’s nation-leading climate change education efforts, Governor Phil Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) today announced the establishment of the first-in-the-nation Office of Climate Change Education within the NJDOE’s Office of Innovation to further climate literacy and environmental awareness among students and educators across the state and to prepare students for the future jobs created by the green economy,” the governor’s office said in a written statement.

The new program will include hiring a “Senior Climate Change Education Advisor” and implementing a formal “New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Climate Change Education,” the office noted.

“In the midst of some of the worst climate-related events that our country has ever faced, New Jersey is taking a proactive stance in combating climate change, and education is the foundation of our efforts,” Mr. Murphy said, also in a written statement.

He has allocated $10 million for the effort in fiscal 2023 and 2024, to be distributed in future grants.

POLL DU JOUR

• 23% of U.S. adults say they will “definitely get” the new vaccine for COVID-19 when it becomes available; 8% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 42% of Democrats agree.

• 31% of adults who previously received a COVID-19 vaccine also agree.

• 23% of U.S. adults say they will “probably get” the new vaccine for COVID-19 when it becomes available; 17% of Republicans, 24% of independents and 27% of Democrats agree.

• 30% of those previously vaccinated also agree.

• 19% overall say they will “probably not get” the new vaccine for COVID-19; 23% of Republicans,17% of independents and 18% of Democrats agree.

• 20% of those previously vaccinated also agree.

• 33% overall say they will “definitely not get” the new vaccine for COVID-19; 53% of Republicans, 35% of independents and 11% of Democrats agree.

• 17% of those previously vaccinated also agree.

SOURCE: A Kaiser Family Foundation poll of 1,382 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 6-13 and released Thursday.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin.