In this article we are going to list the 25 worst states for Covid. Click to skip ahead and jump to the 5 worst states for Covid.
It may seem like a different lifetime, but just over a year and a half ago, there were no restrictions on meeting the people you love, hanging out in crowded places and attending major events such as concerts or sporting events without a second thought. Fast forward to today, and I don't think I need to go into the details of the havoc it has caused, with most countries across the world going into depressions or recessions. Surprisingly, while everyone would've thought that developed countries with their infrastructure and healthcare access would fare a lot better, they in fact tended to fare the worst, with Europe becoming the first epicenter of the virus after China, with the epicenter then moving to the most powerful country in the world, the United States of America, which as of July 2021, is still the country with the highest number of total cases and total deaths in the world.
Even though it seemed like the end was nowhere near in sight and we might have to live for years with this virus wreaking havoc, major breakthroughs by pharma companies started to occur. Just a year ago, everyone was fretting about how long it would take for a vaccine to be developed, without any guarantee of one even working. Up stepped Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech SE - ADR (NASDAQ:BNTX), which became the first companies to be granted emergency authorization by any country for their development of Covid-19 vaccines. They were quickly followed by European pharma company Astra Zeneca and Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) and now, a slew of companies including Chinese companies and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) have come up with approved vaccines.
25 worst states for Covid
The unique thing about the vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) / BioNTech SE - ADR (NASDAQ:BNTX) and Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) is that they use mRNA technology, which is basically the gist of Moderna Inc.'s (NASDAQ:MRNA) existence. This technology means that people not getting the vaccines don't even need to be infected with the virus, and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential of this incredible technology.
This of course does not mean that vaccination campaigns have progressed flawlessly. The vaccine created by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) saw rare blood clots occurring in women, which led to thoughts of pausing their rollout, while a newer controversy pertained to the use of fetal tissue in the Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) vaccine, which is categorically not true. Even Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) / BioNTech SE - ADR (NASDAQ:BNTX) haven't really been free from controversy, with the FDA set to issue a rare heart inflammation warning for the vaccine as well.
Even though the United States has had a successful vaccination campaign, the campaign has not been equal, divided on ideological, religious and especially political grounds. In May, 18,000 people died from Covid-19 in the U.S. Just 200 of these deaths were of people who were vaccinated, proving how incredibly important it is to get vaccinated, not just for yourself, but for loved ones around you too. And while restrictions are easing, this doesn't mean that things are completely back to normal, which brings us to our list of the 25 worst states for Covid. With the latest data collected from CDC, we have determined the rankings for the worst hit states by Covid-19, based on numbers of deaths as number of infections, with the former getting higher weightage since it is more indicative of a prevailing crisis. So without further ado, let's take a look at the states which have bungled their reaction to the worst pandemic in a century, starting with number 25:
25. Florida
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 10,994
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 177
Florida has failed to implement proper guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from the start, for which it has attracted controversy and condemnation. If anything, it's a surprise to see that the state only placed 25th in our list rather than placing much higher.
24. Kansas
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 10,999
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 177
Many of the states in our list our now seeing significant increases in cases thanks to the Delta variant, which originated in India. Kansas is no exception, and it will be interesting to see how the state recovers from this major setback.
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23. Nevada
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 10,976
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 185
Nevada has been under the cosh thanks to the Delta variant, which has spread quickly across the state, and has one of the highest infection rates in the country right now.
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22. Pennsylvania
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 9,481
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 216
Pennsylvania, in its vigorous pursuit of vaccinations, accidentally double counted 500,000 doses, with statistics revised this week. Despite the decrease, more than 61% of all adults have been vaccinated which is an excellent achievement.
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21. New Mexico
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 9,836
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 207
New Mexico may still be among the worst states for Covid, but it has handled the situation very well recently, with both cases and infections dropping, allowing the state to drop all restriction from July 1.
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20. Georgia
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 10,731
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 202
Georgia's cases as well as hospitalizations are continuing to increase, in what is a concerning trend for a state that has already been devastated by the virus. A major reason behind this is the fact that less than 40% have been vaccinated fully which is a lot less than other states.
Michigan is paying out around $50,000 daily to those who have vaccinated as part of a vaccine lottery program, though there are differing opinions on whether the idea has been successful, as there hasn't been an increase in vaccinations after the program was started.
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18. Tennessee
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 12,736
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 184
The recent increase in Covid-19 cases in Tennessee is alarming, with a rise of 250% being seen when compared with the previous week, even as a top vaccine official was terminated.
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17. Oklahoma
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 11,658
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 187
Oklahoma might be on the 17th spot in our list of 25 worst states for Covid but it has the possibility to climb the rankings, considering the stark upward trend of cases with a recent increase in cases of nearly 40%.
Oklahoma, USA
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16. South Carolina
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 11,643
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 191
Compared to the national average, South Carolina's vaccinated population percentage isn't really very high, at under 50% for those who have received at least a single dose, which is the major reason why the infection rate is rising.
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15. Connecticut
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 9,816
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 232
An emergency declaration made in March 2020 might just be coming to an end, with lawmakers set to vote on whether they should continue the declaration. The state has recently taken a controversial decision where it has stopped updating daily deaths, even as the positivity rate stays below 1%.
In a unique method to convince people to get vaccines, Illinois has launched lotteries for vaccinated people offering up to $10 million in prizes with multiple people winning $100,000 each just recently. Meanwhile, the state is allowing travel to more states as the prevalence of Covid-19 in these states continues to decrease.
13. Iowa
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 11,875
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 194
Iowa is transitioning to self administered Covid-19 tests which can be taken at home, even as test sites in the state continue to close down, while South East Iowa is still seeing really low vaccination rates which are hampering its fight against the pandemic.
You'll notice that a lot of the states in our list of the worst states for Covid are facing a lot of vaccine skepticism where some states are either promoting the skepticism while others are trying to fight it. Arkansas falls in the latter category even though cases are increasing.
To understand the situation that Indiana is facing, you only need to look at the federal court case that students have brought against Indiana University over its vaccine mandate, when implementing vaccines is the only way to permanently ward off the virus.
Nearly 11.000 people have died due to Covid-19 and both cases and hospitalizations are increasing as the state inches towards a total of half a million people infected since the pandemic began.
9th on our list of the worst states for Covid-19 is North Dakota, though there have been significant improvements very recently, where there are very few new cases of the dreaded virus, and active cases remain stable as well at a time when the Delta variant is increasing infections globally as well as in the U.S.
8. Massachusetts
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 10,313
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 261
Massachusetts has seen an alarming stat come up recently, where 71 people who were fully vaccinated have died, and around 4,000 breakthrough infections have been reported, which basically refers to people who got vaccinated and yet still got infected.
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7. Mississippi
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 10,888
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 249
Till just a few days ago, Mississippi was dead last for vaccinations, and is now at a still not respectable second to last position. Unless this situation drastically changes, the state will have a long way to go before returning to normal levels.
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6. Alabama
Total Covid-19 cases per 100,000: 11,311
Total Covid-19 deaths per 100,000: 232
There is no wonder that Alabama is in such a bad state, considering that it is dead last for Covid-19 vaccinations, leading to infection and hospitalization rates ticking upwards, which means that Alabama is in a precarious state right now and could slide further.
