CALIFORNIA IS SECOND SAFEST STATE IN NATION FROM COVID
East County News Service
Photo: CC-ND
January 27, 2022 (San Diego) -- With around 64% of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but the omicron variant on the rise, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the Safest States During COVID-19, along with accompanying videos and audio files. California is ranked the second safest overall, after Hawaii, an island state. California also has the highest vaccination rate in the nation.
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. The 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. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.
Safest |
Least Safe |
1. Hawaii |
42. Kentucky |
2. California |
43. Louisiana |
3. Virginia |
44. Arizona |
4. District of Columbia |
45. Mississippi |
5. Maine |
46. West Virginia |
6. Oregon |
47. Missouri |
7. Florida |
48. Tennessee |
8. Vermont |
49. Ohio |
9. New Hampshire |
50. Indiana |
10. Maryland |
51. Oklahoma |
Note: Rankings are based on data available as of 12:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.
Though California ranked the safest, COVID is surging nationwide including California due to the Omicron variant, however California’s high vaccination rate has kept the vast majority of vaccinated individuals out of hospitals and saved them from dying. The high rate of hospitalizations from COVID now is almost entirely unvaccinated people, or those who did not yet receive a booster shot.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit https://wallethub.com/edu/safest-states-during-covid/86567.
View a YouTube video summarizing the study.