By Adam McAnn | WalletHub
The coronavirus pandemic is one of the deadliest health crises the U.S. has ever faced. However, the social distancing restrictions put in place by states have proven effective, and we are seeing gradual decreases in the number of new confirmed cases per day.
States’ COVID-19 infection rates and death rates are vital from both a public health standpoint and from an economic perspective because they dictate the pace at which areas can safely reopen for business. Until the potential benefits outweigh the health risks, states will not be able to move to their next phases of reopening, and thus will not see substantial economic growth.
In order to determine where Americans’ health is recovering most from the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus where it is safest to reopen, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 11 key metrics that reflect the COVID-19 death rate, as well as the rates at which people test positive and the virus spreads. This report focuses on the latest developments in each state rather than which states have been hit the hardest throughout the pandemic, and seeks to highlight which states have experienced a positive trend in their residents’ health in the past few weeks. Read on for the results, along with a full description of our methodology.
