MINNESOTA, USA — A new report by a leading personal finance website puts Minnesota among the top-ten aggressive states in responding to the coronavirus.
The WalletHub survey puts Minnesota eighth among the 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C., based on the comparison of 35 unique metrics from tested cases of COVID-19 per capita and state legislation on the pandemic to the uninsured population and share of the workforce in affected industries.
Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Washington state are the top five: Oklahoma, Nevada, Mississippi and Wyoming are on the bottom in terms of response aggressiveness.
"Many states have taken the CDC’s advice and have legally enforced social distancing, to the point of banning large gatherings and mandating that restaurants and bars close in some cases," WalletHub asserts. "Other states have focused on laws ensuring greater funding for combating the pandemic or guaranteeing that treatment is covered by insurance. Some states have even taken hygiene into their own hands – for example, New York is manufacturing its own hand sanitizer to deal with shortages."
Here are some of the metrics that earned Minnesota its 8th place ranking.
Aggressiveness Against the Coronavirus in Minnesota (1=Best, 25=Avg.)
- 6th – Tested Cases of COVID-19 per Capita
- 2nd – Public Hospital System Quality
- 23rd – Share of Employment from Small Businesses
- 27th – Population Density
- 27th – Share of Workers with Access to Paid Sick Leave
- 24th – Total Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Funding Per Capita
- 30th – Public Healthcare Spending per Capita
- 4th - Lowest influenza and pneumonia death rate per capita
- 5th - Lowest share of population without health insurance coverage
Minnesota may have nudged up the latter a bit if the new coronavirus funding bill passed early Tuesday was included in the calculations. Both the senate and the house voted for the funding bill, which frees up $200 million for healthcare providers to help deal with the virus.
For more on the survey and how it was conducted, check out the WalletHub website.
The Centers for Disease Control has an in-depth frequently asked questions (FAQ) section on its website with additional answers for people looking for more information about COVID-19 coronavirus.
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215.
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