With around 23% of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of April 14, and vaccination being an essential component for full reopening of the economy, WalletHub today released its report on the Safest States During COVID-19. 

 

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. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.

 

New York’s Safety During Coronavirus (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

 

 

Q&A

 

How will warmer weather affect people's safety in relation to COVID-19?

 

“Warmer weather should have a positive impact on safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, as restaurants and events will offer socially-distanced outside seating, which is safer than gathering inside. Businesses and events can expand their capacity limits without compromising safety as a result,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “We should expect warmer weather, combined with accelerated vaccine distribution, to quicken the pace of reopening.”

 

According to President Biden, 90% of U.S. adults will be eligible for the vaccine by April 19. What impact will the increased safety from greater vaccine access have on the economy?

 

“Since nearly all adults will be eligible for the vaccine by April 19, the U.S. will become a lot safer in the coming months, which in turn will have a tremendously positive impact on the economy. More vaccination leads to greater consumer confidence, and the number of people who are willing to shop in person should rise sharply because people know they are protected by the vaccine,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Increased safety will have an especially big impact on certain industries, like travel, which experienced big revenue drops due to both government restrictions and people being afraid to be in an enclosed space with others. The safer conditions are, the more businesses will thrive as restrictions are lifted and consumers return.”

 

What actions can residents take in order to increase the safety of their community and their state?

 

“The most important thing that residents can do to increase the safety of their community and state is to get vaccinated when they are eligible. While the vaccines being offered have a high efficacy, how well they are able to curb the pandemic also depends on the share of the population that chooses to get vaccinated,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Until we achieve widespread vaccination and get the pandemic under control, people should continue to wear masks in public and practice social distancing to achieve the highest level of safety possible.” 

 

Is there a correlation between a state's vaccination rate and its death rate?

 

“At the moment, we have found a weak positive correlation between the vaccination rate ranking and the death rate ranking. In other words, as the vaccination rate increases, the death rate decreases,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “It's important to consider the fact that only around 23% of the population is vaccinated so far, but a much greater portion will become eligible for vaccination soon. In the future, we should expect a stronger correlation between the two variables as the vaccination rate increases.”