LETTER: You can lead a horse to water on COVID, but you can’t make him drink

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Who do you blame, however, if the horse doesn’t drink?

Thank you, Victor Joecks, for reminding us how COVID deaths have continued since Joe Biden has become president — almost 600,000 more since February 2020 to more than 1 million total (July 22 column). Blame Mr. Biden! After all, he assured vaccinations were available to all who wanted them and, unlike the prior president, encouraged them. Too bad he deferred to the states to make their own policy choices — you didn’t want the federal government telling you what to do — hence, vaccinations never became mandatory.

Vaccination rates peaked at around two-thirds of the population. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention beginning in early 2021 reveals that 73 percent of the deaths occurred in unvaccinated people at a rate of death almost five times higher than the vaccinated. If everyone listened to Mr. Biden and got vaccinated, the total deaths would be closer to 250,000 — about what occurred between Biden’s statement in the October 2000 presidential debate and when he took office in January.

Did the person who lost the election encourage shots or better solutions? Mr. Biden got the horse to the water. Maybe Mr. Joecks should blame the horse.