The coronavirus is still stalking America. "Nationally…the South has really cooled off," says virus expert Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. "And it's the Midwest and Great Plains states that have high infection rates. This really shows up when you look at individual state-level data. If you look at the 14 states with the highest new infections per capita, you can see that most are in the colder parts of the country." Topping the list are the following 5 states—"all have below average vaccination rates," says Dr. Jha. "And highly vaxxed states seeing outbreaks in less vaccinated communities of those states." Read on to see the states—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.
Alaska
"Though the state of Alaska currently has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country, Governor Mike Dunleavy is focusing on fighting federal vaccine mandates," reports Ars Technica. "Dunleavy signed an administrative order Tuesday that prohibits all state agencies from participating in or assisting with federal vaccine mandates for employers. The order also tasks the state's attorney general with reviewing all federal vaccine mandates and looking for ways to challenge them in court."
Continues the website: "Dunleavy argues that the federal mandates and rules are 'unconstitutional' and 'completely unnecessary' for the state of Alaska, which has only 53 percent of its population vaccinated. The Republican governor claims Alaska he has 'handled COVID better than nearly every other state in the US.' He boasted that the state has never had a mask mandate and ended its emergency declaration before other states. The state also never prevented healthcare providers from offering unproven and potentially harmful treatments for COVID-19, such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, Dunleavy proudly noted. And, so far, Alaska has the fourth-lowest COVID-19 death rate among states."
Minnesota
"Minnesota's firmly back on the wrong track in the COVID-19 pandemic. The state on Monday posted its highest single-day count of new cases since December. Active cases also reached a 2021 high and the rate of tests coming back positive is edging higher," reports MPR. "Known, active cases rose to 25,387 on Monday — the highest count for all of 2021. The seven-day average for new daily cases rose slightly."
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North Dakota
"North Dakota reported five COVID-19 deaths Thursday, including one each from Cass, Morton, Barnes, Emmons and Stutsman counties," reports the Grand Forks Herald. "COVID-19 hospitalizations stayed nearly the same over the previous day, but the state's medical centers continue to deal with a crunch on capacity. The state reported just seven available intensive care beds and 172 regular inpatient beds across the whole state on Wednesday, though most of the open beds are located in small hospitals with limited capabilities. Fargo's three hospitals reported a combined three ICU beds and nine inpatient beds, while Bismarck's two hospitals reported no open ICU or inpatient beds."
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Montana
"Montana on Monday reported 908 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the state's total active cases to 7,815," reports the Great Falls Tribune. "There have been 2,423 total deaths from the virus, which is eight additional fatalities since Friday. There have been 171,112 recoveries, and there are 351 active hospitalizations. Cascade County, where 51% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated, added 65 new cases on Monday. The county has 707 active cases and 246 deaths from the virus. The latest deaths in the county were listed as a man and woman in their 60s. Both were unvaccinated, and one had underlying conditions."
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Wyoming
"The number of Wyoming deaths tied to coronavirus has increased by 69, the Wyoming Department of Health announced Tuesday," reports the Sheridan Press. "The department said the deaths, which occurred between August and the end of October, brought to 1,243 the number of Wyoming residents whose deaths have been linked to the coronavirus since it was first detected in Wyoming in March 2020. Thirteen Sweetwater County residents, nine men and four women, died in September and October, the department said, and nine were hospitalized for the treatment of coronavirus. Ten Natrona County residents, six men and four women, died in October, while nine Park County residents, seven men and two women, also died. Eight Laramie County residents, six men and two women, were also among the victims."
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How to Stay Safe Out There
Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don't travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
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