California Ranked 3rd In New Study On ‘Safest’ States During COVID-19; Data Highlights Blue And Red State Divide

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new study has ranked California as one of the safest states during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WalletHub released its new ranking on Thursday and looked at several factors to gauge how states have been responding to the pandemic.

Five key metrics went into making the ranking: rates of COVID-19 transmission, positive testing, hospitalizations and death, and share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

California’s total score was third-best, behind only Connecticut and Massachusetts. Wyoming, West Virginia, and Idaho received the bottom three worst scores.

Notably, California had the 5th lowest positive testing rate and second-lowest death rate.

The study also found that states that voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election were “safer” during COVID-19 than states where Donald Trump got more votes – a difference in average rank from 17.35 for blue states and 35.00 for red states.

Read the full study at WalletHub.com.