New Jersey No Longer State With Highest COVID Death Rate

No New Jersey resident will deny the havoc that the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed upon the Garden State, whether it be regarding public health or otherwise.

Not only has the pandemic been the direct cause of New Jersey's collapsing economy over the last year and a half, but it's also responsible for the most deaths compared to any other state in the country. New Jersey has been falling into the number one spot consistently for months on the COVID-19 death rate scale. Now, however, it seems the tides are turning.

According to new reports, the Garden State is no longer in that number one spot. Reportedly, Mississippi now has the worst COVID-19 death rate in the United States. NJ.com reports that 308 people per 100,000 die of COVID-19 in Mississippi, on average. In New Jersey, that number is 306.

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Yes, that means New Jersey is still has the 2nd worst COVID death rate in the country. Many factors contribute to the death rate being so high. For one, the transmission rate will always be higher in a state that's packed with people like NJ is. For example, according to the 2019 Census, Mississippi had 2.976 million people living there. The area of Mississippi is 48,430 mi². In comparison, New Jersey is only 8,729 mi². The same census says that New Jersey had 8.882 million residents as of 2019.

Let's examine those facts, shall we? So, when comparing New Jersey to Mississippi, you've got more than three times the people living in a state that's literally five times smaller. Yeah, logic would say that when you consider how germs spread, it's not really that shocking that New Jersey's numbers are what they are. Still, the fact that a state with that many more people packed into such a tiny space has dropped in position means New Jersey is doing something right.

It means that, regardless of your vaccination status, New Jersey is doing what needs to be done to protect itself.

Source: NJ.com