Stop me if you've heard this one before, we're in the midst of a pandemic and we need to social dist... yeah, you have heard that part. I know. But even as 'coronavirus' and 'COVID-19' and even 'pandemic' have all become a part of the (universal) lexicon, have you stopped to think, 'are we Iowans more or less susceptible to catching COVID-19...'? I hadn't. Until now that is.

According to a new study from WalletHub, Iowans are among the least vulnerable to catching coronavirus. In fact, as the study goes, we're actually the 7th least vulnerable state out of 51 (the extra is the District of Columbia). When I first read this, I figured it had to be wrong. For a while it seemed we were considered a new hot spot for cases, or might even still be. We had the outbreak here in Black Hawk county at the Tyson plant... now Polk County is in the midst of a huge surge... Still, there's the thought we're in way better shape than most others and, here's why the metrics from study say we are, remember each is out of 51 where 1 is most vulnerable and 51 is least vulnerable:

  • 38th – Share of population diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • 43rd – Share of unsheltered homeless Population
  • 27th – Share of homes lacking access to basic hygienic facilities
  • 19th – Share of households in poverty and not receiving food stamps
  • 45th – Unemployment insurance rate

Nothing to brag about as we should all be rooting for the pandemic to lift. But maybe it's some piece of mind for you as area businesses are reopening, albeit with limited capacity.

Stay healthy.

Here's how all states and D.C. ranked:

Source: WalletHub
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