Mass. population among ‘least vulnerable’ to coronavirus, study finds

BOSTON (WHDH) - The people of Massachusetts are among the “least vulnerable” to coronavirus in the United States, a new study has found.

WalletHub recently ranked the Bay State as the fourth “least vulnerable” to COVID-19.

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in early March, much of the focus has been on medically vulnerable individuals with pre-existing conditions who could suffer from the most serious symptoms if they contract the disease, but the personal-finance website says it has identified two other at-risk populations that are just as crucial to shield from the coronavirus.

Those who lack adequate living conditions and those without enough monetary resources to weather the pandemic have also been hit hard by the disease, WalletHub found.

In order to find out which states have the highest concentrations of vulnerable people across all three categories, WalletHub says it compared all 50 states and Washington D.C. across 28 metrics, including the share of the population aged 65 and older, the share of the homeless population that is unsheltered, and the share of the entire population living in poverty.

West Virginia, Lousiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama were the top five “most vulnerable” states to coronavirus based on “medical,” “housing,” and “financial” vulnerability data.

The only other states that were found to be less vulnerable to the coronavirus than Massachusetts were Minnesota, Colorada, and Utah.

Here is how Massachusetts ranked in WalletHub’s study:

23^rd – Share of Population Aged 65 & Older
45^th – Share of Population Diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
49^th – Share of Unsheltered Homeless Population
22^nd – Share of Homes Lacking Access to Basic Hygienic Facilities
40^th – Share of Households in Poverty Not Receiving Food Stamps
50^th – Unemployment Insurance Recipiency Rate

Click here for more coronavirus coverage.

Trending