GILLETTE, Wyo. — Wyoming ranks among the worst places in the nation for COVID-19 safety, according to a recent statistical analysis from WalletHub.
According to the report, only nine states were rated lower for COVID-19 safety than Wyoming, which claimed 42nd place at 29.75 points across five key metrics: vaccination rate, positive testing rate, hospitalization rate, death rate, and the level of community transmission.
For comparison, the worst state for COVID-19 safety was Louisiana that scored 14.31 points and the best state was Vermont with a score of 75.95, per WalletHub, which also stated in the analysis that blue states were safer than red states.
Wyoming has the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the country at the time of the analysis, according to WalletHub.
As of Aug. 22, the most recent data from the Wyoming Department of Health, around 46.84% of the Cowboy State’s population, or 271,105 residents, were considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
There have been 43,572 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date, per WDH, 13,521 probable cases, and 258 deaths. Additionally, there have been 1,461 cases of COVID-19 among Wyoming’s vaccinated residents and 206 deaths.
The number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have dramatically decreased from levels recorded in January 2022; there are currently no residents hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Campbell County, per WDH.
According to WDH, there are currently 232 active lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wyoming.
The Wyoming Department of Health provides COVID-19 case, variant, death, testing, hospital and vaccine data online. The department also shares information about how the data can be interpreted. COVID-19 safety recommendations are available from the CDC.