States with the Most Vulnerable Populations to COVID-19: Tennessee Named State with 9th Least Coronavirus Services & Social Assistance
COVID-19 and the resulting fear about the disease has wreaked havoc in people’s daily lives and business lives as most of the country has shut down. Now in addition to concerns about testing, hospitalization, and recovery rates, people are also concerned about business closures, bankruptcies, unemployment and even the rising suicide rate of people shut off in their homes.
Who Is at Risk for COVID-19?
With nearly 75 percent of patients hospitalized for coronavirus being at least 50 years old, and around 90 percent having pre-existing conditions, it’s important for states with larger vulnerable populations to have greater protective measures. Vulnerability isn’t just health-related, though, as many people are harmed by the economic effects of the pandemic.
To show where the states with the biggest concentrations of “at-risk” people live, the personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its report on the States with the Most Vulnerable Populations to Coronavirus, as well as accompanying videos.
What Makes Tennessee Rank So Low in Coronavirus Services?
To identify which states have the highest concentration of vulnerable people, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key metrics in 3 overall categories: medical vulnerability, housing vulnerability and financial vulnerability. WalletHub data set ranges from the share of the population aged 65 and older to the share of the homeless population that is unsheltered and the share of the entire population living in poverty. Pictured are some stats from the survey related to Tennessee.
According to the survey, Tennessee has one of the highest rates of COPD but is the 9th worst state in terms of homes lacking basic hygiene resources. See the image above for more Tennessee Coronavirus services stats. Tennessee was also recently found to be the state with the 6th fewest COVID-19 restrictions which has helped the state’s economy but may equate to less Coronavirus preparation to aid its high-risk population.
It is important to note that 89 percent of adults hospitalized for COVID-19 have a pre-existing condition, and nearly 75 percent are over age 50, so these stats do not indicate that young, healthy people need to or should continue to shelter in place. However, older people and those with pre-existing conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, pulmonary or heart issue continue to be vulnerable, and those are the people states should be prepared to help. Tennessee ranks #25 in share of population aged 65 or higher. Based on services and social assistance, WalletHub found Tennessee to be the state with the 9th least Coronavirus support available for those who are at high risk.
