The financial website WalletHub released a list comparing states' safety during the coronavirus pandemic. Kansas isn't at the top of the list, but it's pretty close. WalletHub compared the states, along with the District of Columbia, across five key metrics. The data set included the rates of COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.
With "one" being the best, Kansas ranked 22nd in vaccination rate, 11th in positive testing rate, eighth in hospitalization rate, sixth in transmission rate, and fourth in death rate. Putting all the ratings together for an overall ranking, Kansas came in as the fourth-safest state in the country.
Above Kansas on the list was Alaska in third, Hawaii in second, and New Hampshire in first. At the other end of the scale were New Jersey in 49th, Michigan in 50th, and Georgia in 51st.
