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.
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 7.9% of the population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (received both doses) as of March 2.
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, including the rates of COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.
Nevada doesn’t fare particularly well or particularly bad, finishing 26th in the survey. Oregon (8th) and Washington (11th) finished as best in the west, while one of the most restrictive states - California - was ranked 38th.
Alaska and Hawaii topped the “Safest States” rankings, while New York, Georgia and Virginia were at the bottom