Indiana is next-to-last on list of 'Safest States During COVID-19'

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s hospitals have been pushed to the limit during the omicron surge as nearly half of the state’s population remains unvaccinated against COVID-19.

A new WalletHub study points to just how bad the situation has become in the Hoosier State: Indiana is the second least safe state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indiana ranked 50th on the list of “Safest States During COVID-19,” which includes the 50 states, plus Washington D.C. Only Oklahoma is worse off than Indiana, according to WalletHub.

WalletHub screenshot

The rankings take into account vaccination rate, positive testing rate, hospitalization rate, death rate and transmission rate.

The five categories are averaged together and graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the safest conditions. Indiana came out with a score of 18.35 out of 100.

According to the study, Indiana is 49th in vaccination rate, 40th in positive testing rate, 32nd in hospitalization rate, 45th in death rate and 18th in transmission rate through Wednesday.

The Indiana National Guard and federal medical personnel teams are still assisting at hospitals around the state, including IU Health Methodist Hospital, as heath care officials plead with Hoosiers to get vaccinated saying, "We can't do this alone."

On Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Health reported 129 COVID-19 deaths, 5,536 new positive cases and 3,206 hospitalizations. The state’s 7-day positivity rate among all tests was 30.5%.

Nearly 20,300 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.