Investing in schools leads to higher vaccination rates

As someone who believes smart people tend to choose life over death, I am proud of my state and my neighbors. In Avon, more than 75% of my fellow townspeople have been fully vaccinated, essentially the percentage vaccinated statewide (according to the Connecticut Health and Human Services Department). That rate puts us second only to Vermont. Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island also show rates well above 70%.

Taxpayers here and in Vermont will not be surprised that our states rank high — Nos. 5 and 6, respectively — in how much we spend per pupil on education. (In Connecticut, the figure is more than $17,000.) Contrast that with such states as Mississippi and Alabama, which spend $8,900 and $9,600, respectively, on students. Their full-vaccination rates are both just 35%, and their COVID-19 infection rates are among the highest per capita in the nation. So too are their hospitalization and death rates. We should not be surprised that there is a connection between education and vaccination rates. The educated tend to believe in science and facts. Yes, taxes are higher in New England. But if COVID-19 has proved anything, it is that extra support for education might be a matter of life and death.

Larry Gavrich, Avon