April 15, 2021: New Jersey has recorded 2,808 COVID-19-related deaths for every 1 million residents in the state. That’s the highest rate in the nation. Only two other states (New York and Massachusetts) have recorded more than 2,500 COVID-19 deaths per million residents.[1]
Another seven states have recorded at least 2,000 deaths per million residents: Rhode Island, Mississippi, Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, South Dakota and Alabama.[1]
At the other end of the spectrum, eight states plus Puerto Rico have recorded fewer than 1,000 COVID-19-related deaths per million residents. Those states are New Hampshire, Washington, Utah, Oregon, Maine, Alaska, Vermont and Hawaii.[1]
Research has shown that many factors beyond government policy play a role in the relative death rates of different geographical areas. The age of the population in a given area is a significant factor. Adults over the age of 85 are 8,700 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than children under 17.[2] A study conducted in Mexico hypothesizes that other factors include the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, along with climate factors, such as high air temperature or exposure to air pollution.[3]
Footnotes:
- Real Clear Politics, "Coronavirus (COVID-19) U.S. Deaths," accessed April 14, 2021
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Risk for COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death By Age Group," February 18, 2021
- Benita, Francisco and Francisco Gasca-Sanchez. "On the main factors influencing COVID-19 spread and deaths in Mexico: A comparison between Phase I and II." MedRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.22.20248716
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People's Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read Scott Rasmussen's Reports — More Here.
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