FARGO – North Dakota has the sixth-lowest coronavirus vaccination rate in the United States, according to a study.
Wyoming tops the list, with the lowest vaccination rate at 64. 3% for adults. Louisiana at 70 percent, Oklahoma in third place at 70. 6 percent, Montana in fourth at 70. 7 percent and Alabama in fifth place at 71. 2 percent.
South Dakota ranked tenth after 73. 3% of its adults got the COVID-19 vaccine. Minnesota tied with Utah with 80. 6 percent.
That means 860,774 Minnesota adults have been vaccinated, according to the study.
Rhode Island and Massachusetts had rates of 90. 1 percent, according to the study. Hawaii had the current rate of 88. 9%.
“Knowledge indicates that some states differ particularly in terms of COVID-19 vaccination rates,” Zinda Law Group said. “This can simply be attributed to several factors, such as access to physical care, vaccine availability, and the public’s different confidence in the vaccine. “himself. “
The study analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s unclear what percentage of the population should be vaccinated against the coronavirus to prevent significant spread.
In North Dakota, about 20 percent of adults, or about 121,037, got the updated vaccines in 2023 and 2024, according to the study. That figure was only about 21 percent in South Dakota.
The study included those figures for Minnesota.
Some vaccines administered in 2023 and 2024 will expire this summer, the CDC said.
North Dakota Health and Human Services recommends that all North Dakotans 6 months and older receive up-to-date COVID-19 vaccines, said state Immunization Director Molly Howell. to the Forum in a press release. It is the most effective way to save serious diseases, especially among citizens above 65 years of age, she said. The vaccine is also vital for people with chronic diseases, immunocompromised or pregnant.
“Staying up-to-date provides the most productive coverage because the COVID-19 virus mutates over time and the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine wanes over time,” Howell said. “The COVID-19 vaccine is up to date. “
He stated that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 “is an individual choice. ”
“According to the June 2023 National Immunization Survey, North Dakotans who were unlikely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine were less involved with COVID-19 disease, were less confident in vaccine protection, and did not have the vaccine that was vital to protect. themselves and had fewer vaccinated friends and family,” Howell said in his statement.
North Dakota has reported 312,313 positive cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic through Aug. 9, the latest data available to Health and Human Services. There were 319 new cases last week.
North Dakota recorded the number of cases in one week in late January 2022, when the state reported 15,926, according to the fitness agency. The number of hospitalizations came in mid-November 2020, when another 527 people were hospitalized, according to state data. .
As of July 31, the state had reported 2134 coronavirus-related deaths. The figure occurred in 2020, when another 1159 people lost their lives.
The state has reported that another 33 people have died from the disease this year.