A new poll from NBC News underscores a well-documented feature of American life: where you consume your news, gives a good indication of your political preferences.

Duh.

Viewers of conservative media give low marks to President Joe Biden (24%) and his policies on COVID-19 (30%), the economy (24%), and Afghanistan (12%). Viewers of liberal media are happier with the president (69%) and his performance (73% on COVID-19, 65% on the economy, and 37% on Afghanistan). Consumers of newspapers and broadcast news, meanwhile, skew left (60% on Biden overall). Those that turn to social media for news are more down the middle (47% on Biden overall).

But NBC reports that these well-defined political preferences have bled into the sphere of public health. As the network points out, “this news silo-ing also has profound — even fatal — consequences during a pandemic.”

Of the 30 counties with the highest number of new COVID-19 infections per 100,000 residents, 29 of them voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 election…and by wide margins. Trump also trounced Biden in all of the ten counties with the fastest growing infection rates.

Highest Covid infection rates

County/Cases Per 100k/2020 margin

  1. Cook, Ga. — 303 (Trump +40)
  2. Pierce, Ga. — 238 (Trump +75)
  3. Crockett, Tenn. — 233 (Trump +54)
  4. Wayne, Miss. — 225 (Trump +27)
  5. Hancock, Miss. — 220 (Trump +56)
  6. Clarke, Miss. — 218 (Trump +30)
  7. Dimmit, Texas — 217 (Biden +24)
  8. Berrien, Ga. — 211 (Trump +67)
  9. Tift, Ga. — 210 (Trump +34)
  10. Brantley, Ga. — 209 (Trump +81)
  11. Emanuel, Ga. — 202 (Trump +39)
  12. Clay, Ky. 202 — (Trump +77)
  13. Prentiss, Miss. — 200 (Trump +58)
  14. George, Miss. — 193 (Trump +77)
  15. Magoffin, Ky. — 191 (Trump +54)
  16. McIntosh, Ga. — 190 (Trump +21)
  17. Lanier, Ga. — 189 (Trump +42)
  18. Jones, Miss. — 188 (Trump +42)
  19. Columbia, Fla. — 187 (Trump +45)
  20. Glynn, Ga. — 186 (Trump +23)
  21. Dodge, Ga. — 186 (Trump +46)
  22. Pearl River, Miss. — 185 (Trump +64)
  23. Perry, Miss. — 185 (Trump +53)
  24. Del Norte, Calif. — 185 (Trump +16)
  25. Marion, Tenn. — 185 (Trump +51)
  26. Lauderdale, Tenn. — 182 (Trump +28)
  27. Ben Hill, Ga. — 175 (Trump +26)
  28. Hardee, Fla. — 172 (Trump +45)
  29. Jackson, Ky. — 171 (Trump +79)
  30. Knox, Ind. — 171 (Trump +47)

Fastest growing Covid infection rates

County/14-Day Increase/2020 Margin

  1. Mackinac, Mich.: +2,643 percent (Trump +24)
  2. Meade, S.D.: +1,540 percent (Trump +48)
  3. Lawrence, S.D.: +1,520 percent (Trump +31)
  4. Butte, S.D.: +1,050 percent (Trump +58)
  5. Mineral, W.V.: +718 percent (Trump +57)
  6. Emery, Utah: +717 percent (Trump +74)
  7. Washington, Idaho: +700 percent (Trump +58)
  8. Poweshiek, Iowa: +700 percent (Trump +13)
  9. Taylor, Wisc.: +650 percent (Trump +47)
  10. Page, Iowa: +571 percent (Trump +43)

This red county/blue county disparity doesn’t just have horrifying public health implications. It’s also hurting the economy in GOP counties.

According to data surveyed by Mark Muro, the policy director of the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Project, and presented in Bloomberg: “the 520 counties Biden won [in 2020] account for fully 71% of U.S. gross domestic product, while the 2,564 that Trump carried produced just 29%. In other words, America’s economic engine is bluer than ever.”

Muro says the situation has been exacerbated by vaccine hesitancy among GOP adherents. “At this point, reduced vaccination rates align very much with 2020 Trump-voting across counties, and that—it turns out—aligns very closely with weaker economic performance,” Muro told Bloomberg.

“The irony is that low vaccination rates are likely to slow economic recovery,” he added.