Kentucky ranks ninth in recent study of states with lowest COVID-19 ...

By Tom LatekKentucky Today

As a summer surge of the Coronavirus is underway across the country, a new study has revealed the states with the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates among adults, and Kentucky has finished among the bottom 10.

Personal injury lawyers at the Zinda Law Group analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find the percentage of people aged 18 and over who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in each state.

The bottom 10 states in vaccination rates in order were: Wyoming, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Montana, Alabama, North Dakota, Mississippi, Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky and South Dakota.

While Wyoming had only 64.3 percent of the adult population that received COVID vaccinations, Kentucky didn’t fare much better.

According to the study, Kentucky had 73.1 percent of the adult population choosing to get the COVID-19 vaccination, equating to an estimated 943,991 people. Only 16.5 percent (an estimated 579,028 residents) of Kentucky’s vaccinated population received an updated dose between 2023 and 2024.

At the other end of the spectrum, Rhode IslandandMassachusettseachhad the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States, with 90.1% of the adult population being vaccinated against the virus. Rhode Island has an estimated 88,320 inhabitants aged 18 and over who have not received any vaccinations, whilst Massachusetts has an estimated 560,300 residents who remain unvaccinated.

A spokesperson for the Zinda Law Groupcommented, “The data indicates that certain states differ quite significantly in terms of COVID-19 vaccination rates. This could be attributed to several factors, including access to healthcare, vaccine availability, and varying public confidence in the vaccine itself.”

Data on the percentage of people aged 18 and over in each state who have received COVID-19 vaccinations was sourced from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The states with the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates determined the ranking. Using state population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people in each state who are unvaccinated was estimated.