Las Vegas, NV (KXNT) - As the U.S. works to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, staying safe is one of Americans’ top concerns. 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.
The U.S. is picking up speed with vaccinations, as around 23% of the population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of April 14.
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, the financial website WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics, including the rates of COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.
WalletHub doesn’t think highly of Nevada as a safe spot, ranking the Silver State 45th overall. Hurting our overall ranking the most was a last place finish in the category of “Highest Transmission Rate”.
Only Utah, New York , West Virginia, New Jersey, Michigan and Georgia are ranked lower than Nevada.
Topping the “safest states” list: New Hampshire, followed by Hawaii, Alaska, Kansas and Vermont.
For a look at the full study from WalletHub, click here.