NC Among Safer States During COVID, Report Says: Here's Why

NORTH CAROLINA — A new report released on Thursday says North Carolina is among safer states amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however ranks low when it comes to vaccinations.

WalletHub released its report on the Safest States During COVID-19, comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics.

The data set includes the rates of COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and deaths, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

The death rate holds triple weight in a state's ranking (37.5 points), and vaccination rate holds double weight (25 points). The rest of the categories hold a normal weight (12.5 points).

North Carolina ranks high when it comes to deaths and transmission, however has work to do when it comes to its rate of vaccinations and positive tests, according to the study from WalletHub:

• 17th — Transmission rate
• 26th — Hospitalization rate
• 39th — Vaccination rate
• 22nd — Death rate
• 35th — Positive test rate

The report follows another that says North Carolina's strategy to curb the spread of coronavirus last year was ranked among the most effective in the nation.

SEE ALSO: Vaccine Passports In NC? 2 Out Of 3 Patch Readers Say No

The new analysis by UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute said North Carolina was ranked 12th out of 50 states in terms of performance, and the report revealed an overall trend: state governments that were more aggressive in issuing mask mandates, stay-at-home orders, and physical distancing rules fared better than states that did not. Read more: NC's Coronavirus Response Ranks Among Best In US: Index

However, there were some outliers. New Jersey, who had some of the toughest, most restrictive COVID-19 orders in the nation, ranked 46th in UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute's report. Vermont, Alaska, and Maine were the three most effective states in responding to the coronavirus pandemic last year, that analysis said.

The report says that increased vaccination and warmer weather should have an impact on safety amid the pandemic, and North Carolina's vaccine eligibility expanded to everyone age 16 and older in early April. Read more: COVID Up Among Younger Adults In NC As Vaccine Eligibly Expands

As of April 14, nearly 42 percent of North Carolinians — or nearly 3.5 million people — have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services vaccine dashboard. Nearly 32 percent of North Carolinianshave been fully vaccinated, DHHS said.

The report notes that restaurants and events will soon offer more socially-distanced outside seating, which is safer than gathering inside. You can read the full report here.

"Businesses and events can expand their capacity limits without compromising safety as a result," said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst.

"Since nearly all adults will be eligible for the vaccine by April 19, the U.S. will become a lot safer in the coming months, which in turn will have a tremendously positive impact on the economy. More vaccination leads to greater consumer confidence, and the number of people who are willing to shop in person should rise sharply because people know they are protected by the vaccine," she said.

Increased safety will have an especially big impact on certain industries, like travel, which experienced big revenue drops due to both government restrictions and people being afraid to be in an enclosed space with others, she said.

"The safer conditions are, the more businesses will thrive as restrictions are lifted and consumers return," she said.

The most important thing that residents can do to increase the safety of their community and state is to get vaccinated when they are eligible. While the vaccines being offered have a high efficacy, how well they are able to curb the pandemic also depends on the share of the population that chooses to get vaccinated, said Gonzalez.

"Until we achieve widespread vaccination and get the pandemic under control, people should continue to wear masks in public and practice social distancing to achieve the highest level of safety possible," he said.

At the moment, Wallethub has found a weak positive correlation between the vaccination rate ranking and the death rate ranking, said Gonzalez.

"It's important to consider the fact that only around 23 percent of the population is vaccinated so far, but a much greater portion will become eligible for vaccination soon," she said. "In the future, we should expect a stronger correlation between the two variables as the vaccination rate increases."

Patch Editor Tom Davis contributed to this article.