California counties with high Covid vaccination rates helped Newsom cruise to victory in the recall election

Those small counties were also more likely to have lower vaccination rates. Eighteen of the 23 reported less than 50% of residents were fully vaccinated as of Election Day, according to a CNBC analysis of California Department of Public Health data.

Lassen County, for example, has an estimated population of about 30,600 as of 2019 and a current vaccination rate of nearly 22%. Roughly 84% of its voters voted “yes” on the recall.

Similarly, Modoc County has an estimated population of 8,800 as of 2019 and a current vaccination rate of 36.3%. Seventy-eight percent of its voters also favored the recall.

On the other end of the spectrum, Los Angeles County has an estimated population of over 10 million as of 2019 and a vaccination rate of 59.5%. Its voters strongly supported Newsom, with 70.8% voting “no” on the recall. 

The majority of counties that are classified as rural or mostly rural were also less likely to support Newsom and get vaccinated, according to the Census Bureau’s latest rural area data, from 2010. The Census Bureau defines rural as any population, housing or territory not within an urban area or areas with 50,000 or more residents.

Ten out of the 11 counties classified as rural or mostly rural in California voted “yes” on the recall. This includes Amador County, Calaveras County, Lassen County, Mariposa County, Modoc County, Plumas County, Sierra County, Siskiyou County, Tehama County and Trinity County, according to data from the California secretary of state.

As of Election Day, all 10 of those counties reported vaccination rates below 50%, according to CNBC’s analysis.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/17/california-counties-with-high-covid-vaccination-rates-helped-newsom-win-the-recall-election.html