Minnesota Among Safest States During COVID-19 Pandemic

We are now officially one year into the COVID-19 nightmare here in Minnesota. March 18, 2020 is the first day that Kelly and I began airing the 98.1 Morning Show from our respective living rooms. That lasted until sometime in June.

As variants evolve and vaccines begins to flow, a new study from the number crunchers at WalletHub reveals that Minnesota was among the safest states over the last year of the pandemic.

Maybe it's because flannel makes for good masks. God knows we have a lot of flannel.

The Ten Safest States During the COVID-19 Pandemic

1. Alaska
2. Hawaii
3. North Dakota
4. New Mexico
5. South Dakota
6. Minnesota
7. Montana
8. Oregon
9. Vermont
10. Iowa

I mean, holy crap! Our neighborhood rocked it. North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin at #12.

Of course, we also need to look at the other side of the COVID coin too.

The Ten Least-Safe States During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• #46 - New Jersey
• #47 - Delaware
• #48 - New York
• #49 - Georgia
• #50 - Virginia

Alaska has the highest vaccination rate to date, with Minnesota 12th best so far.

Hawaii has the lowest positive testing rate, with Minnesota 16th best. Hawaii also has the lowest hospitalization rate. Minnesota is 6th lowest.

Arkansas has the lowest death rate associated to COVID-19, while Minnesota has the 4th lowest.

The five metrics evaluated by the team at WalletHub to determine these rankings, including  vaccination rate, positive testing rate, hospitalization rate, death rate, and estimated transmission rate.

With the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine I'm hoping we can all get past this craziness sooner than later. Stay safe & healthy!