Mark Sumner of Daily Kos presents the case rate for Covid on a state basis:
Daily Kos and CDC.
And Sumner’s focus is on neighboring states New Mexico and Texas:
The orders from [Governor Grisham (D-NM)] have directly addressed climate change, habitat loss, and the sovereignty of Tribal lands with a plan that would would see literally half the state conserved for environmental purposes. She’s taken steps to move the state away from standardized testing and find measures of educational merit that aren’t saddled with racial and cultural bias. But what’s most obvious in looking at those orders is that, again and again, Lujan Grisham has made the right move in protecting her state. Whether that means limiting social gatherings, issuing a shelter-in-place order in the early days of the pandemic, or instituting mask mandates when recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lujan Grisham hasn’t shied away from taking action, even when it meant facing protests. It probably doesn’t hurt that before becoming governor, Lujan Grisham served as the state’s secretary of health.
On the other hand, [Governor Abbott (R-TX)] is still out there fighting to prevent schools from mandating masks, and attacking President Joe Biden for requiring either vaccination or testing at large companies. …
Not only are the rates of new cases in New Mexico much lower than in Texas, the rate of positive tests also less than half—a good indication that New Mexico is catching and identifying most of its cases, while Texas simply is not.
Daily Kos and CDC.
In fact, looking at the map suggests that the twin strategies of vaccination and masking are, in fact, effective; the map to the right of state vaccination rates reinforces this observation. Comparing other states, Republican led Wyoming is in terrible shape in both maps, while Democrat led neighbor Colorado is doing far better.
If a friend or a governor of your acquaintance is yammering on how one or the other doesn’t work, show them these maps. They are graphic evidence that they do work.
