Safety is also essential for getting the economy back on track, as the lower COVID-19 transmission and deaths are in a state, the more that state is able to eliminate restrictions on businesses. We’ll only be able to fully get back to life as normal once most of the population is vaccinated against coronavirus, and it will still be months before we can achieve that. The U.S. is off to a slow start so far, as only 5% of the population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (received both doses) as of February 17.
Some states are already safer than others, though, based on how well they have kept the pandemic under control and how much they are vaccinating. In order to find out the safest states during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics. Our 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.
Here is every state ranked, from least to most safe during COVID-19.
Image Credit: zstockphotos / iStock.
51. Ohio
Total score: 29.71
Image Credit: Pixabay.com.
50. South Carolina
Total score: 43.99
Image Credit: Kruck20 // iStock.
49. New York
Total score: 44.84
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
48. Rhode Island
Total score: 48.00
Image Credit: iStock.
47. Georgia
Total score: 49.11
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
46. Alabama
Total score: 49.81
Image Credit: Sean Pavone.
45. Texas
Total score: 54.35
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
44. New Jersey
Total score: 54.47
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
43. Delaware
Total score: 54.82
Image Credit: tonda / iStock.
42. Tennessee
Total score: 55.43
Image Credit: NathanMerrill.
41. Mississippi
Total score: 56.47
Image Credit: SeanPavonePhoto // iStock.
40. Florida
Total score: 56.76
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
39. Nevada
Total score: 57.37
Image Credit: AlizadaStudios.
38. Nebraska
Total score: 57.73
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
37. Kentucky
Total score: 58.15
Image Credit: Thomas Kelley.
36. North Carolina
Total score: 58.62
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
35. Arizona
Total score: 59.08
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
34. Pennsylvania
Total score: 59.66
Image Credit: AppalachianViews.
33. Kansas
Total score: 59.82
Image Credit: Tiago_Fernandez / iStock.
32. Missouri
Total score: 61.92
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
31. California
Total score: 62.16
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
30. Virginia
Total score: 62.17
Image Credit: tmersh.
29. Washington, DC
Total score: 62.22
Image Credit: Sean Pavone.
28. Maryland
Total score: 62.43
Image Credit: Pixabay.com.
27. Massachusetts
Total score: 62.55
Image Credit: Rolf_52.
26. Arkansas
Total score: 63.38
Image Credit: Tara Ballard.
25. Oklahoma
Total score: 63.84
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
24. Utah
Total score: 64.44
Image Credit: AndreyKrav.
23. New Hampshire
Total score: 64.54
Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr.
22. Louisiana
Total score: 64.98
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
21. Indiana
Total score: 66.47
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
20. South Dakota
Total score: 67.09
Image Credit: elljay / Pixabay.com.
19. Idaho
Total score: 67.69
Image Credit: knowlesgallery.
18. Illinois
Total score: 67.98
Image Credit: ibsky.
17. Connecticut
Total score: 68.43
Image Credit: traveler1116.
16. Michigan
Total score: 68.73
Image Credit: haveseen.
15. Vermont
Total score: 69.52
Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr.
14. Iowa
Total score: 69.52
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
13. New Mexico
Total score: 69.71
Image Credit: Davel5957.
12. Colorado
Total score: 70.31
Image Credit: ” Adventure_Photo.
11. West Virginia
Total score: 70.67
Image Credit: hkim39 // iStock.
10. Minnesota
Total score: 71.07
Image Credit: JoeChristensen.
9. Montana
Total score: 71.87
Image Credit: David Butler.
8. Washington
Total score: 73.39
Image Credit: 4nadia.
7. Oregon
Total score: 73.79
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
6. Wisconsin
Total score: 74.95
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
5. Wyoming
Total score: 75.93
Image Credit: AnujSahaiPhotography.
4. North Dakota
Total score: 77.71
Image Credit: sequential5.
3. Maine
Total score: 78.42
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
2. Hawaii
Total score: 79.22
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
1. Alaska
Total score: 86.52
This report originally appeared on WalletHub.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: Chilkoot.
