Safest States to Be in During the Coronavirus Pandemic- Updated

The US is on the way to recovery from the pandemic. The US economic recovery may begin this month, with rapid changes starting with the end of enhanced unemployment benefits in half the states and ending in the fall's expected reopening of schools and universities. The global economy is expected to expand 5.6% in 2021, the fastest post-recession pace in 80 years, largely on strong rebounds from a few major economies. States are now lifting restrictions thanks to vaccines. As of June 13 45.9% of Americans have been fully vaccinated.

With around 45% of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of June 23, and vaccination being an essential component for full reopening of the economy, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the Safest States During COVID-19.

In order to find out the safest states during the COVID-19 pandemic, they compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics. Their data set includes the rates of COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

Highlights from Report

Note: Rankings are based on data available as of 12:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.

WalletHub Q&A

How might the Delta COVID-19 variant impact safety?

“The Delta COVID-19 variant could have a negative impact on our safety, both from a public health perspective and financially. Studies show that fully-vaccinated people are protected against the Delta variant, too, but if a large portion of the country remains unvaccinated, the more contagious nature of the Delta variant could trigger more local lockdowns,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Americans are just starting to recover financially, and further lockdowns could put them in serious financial jeopardy. It’s essential that as many people as possible get vaccinated.”

What does it mean for safety that the EEOC has confirmed employers can require vaccination in the workplace?

“The fact that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has confirmed employers can require vaccination in the workplace means that we should see even higher safety levels in the near future. Companies that require vaccination will help push more people to get protected, which will make daily COVID-19 cases and deaths drop even lower,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Some places, such as Houston Methodist Hospital, are already advertising that they mandate vaccination for all employees. Those companies view having a vaccination requirement as a competitive advantage, since consumers are more likely to visit places that make them feel safer.”

Is Vermont, the state with the lowest death rate, one of the states that is vaccinating most?

“In addition to reporting no deaths in the past week, Vermont ranks as the highest when it comes to the share of the population age 12 and over who have received at least one dose of the vaccine,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Increasing the number of people vaccinated is essential for getting control of the pandemic.”

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/safest-states-during-covid/86567