Senator Marco Rubio: “There’s no reason not to be vaccinated”

Florida Senator Marco Rubio told “CBS This Morning” there is no reason why Americans shouldn’t be getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

“Everyone should be vaccinated. There’s no reason not to be vaccinated. I’m vaccinated, my family’s vaccinated. The people shouldn’t listen to people who tell them not to, all these things that are out there being said are just not accurate. At the end of the day, it’s up to people to make that decision,” Rubio said.  

Florida accounts for 20% of all new COVID-19 infections. Despite this, Rubio said it is not the government’s responsibility to ensure people get vaccinated.

“You know, the government can’t, in a free society such as ours, there’s only so much we can do. We can provide information, we can debunk things that aren’t true, and we can provide access. It is ultimately up to people individually to make that decision,” Rubio said.

A July CBS News/You Gov poll found that 29% of Republicans surveyed said they would not get vaccinated. But Rubio believes that vaccinations shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and there is hesitancy on both sides and in all social groups.

“There are communities, for example, some African American/Hispanic communities in Florida where there is a high hesitancy to get vaccinated as well for a lot of different reasons. I would prefer, it’s really not a partisan issue,” said Rubio. “I don’t care what the polling says. At the end of the day, the vaccine is the vaccine. It’s a human thing. Either you take it, or you don’t. There are people who don’t want to be vaccinated, and you can’t convince them. I have family members, friends I’ve known a long time, smart, educated people who just refuse to do it.”

In Florida, hospitals are preparing for the worst. About 95% of patients with the virus who are being treated at Miami’s Jackson Health System are unvaccinated. The senator urged  Americans to get vaccinated to protect themselves from getting seriously ill and overflowing already strained hospitals. 

“Everybody should get vaccinated. I’ll say it one more time. Please do. Even if you get the disease … you don’t go to the hospital, you don’t get intubated, and you don’t die,” Rubio said. 

He added, “My high school football teammate just died.”