Maine ranks 8th in U.S. for aggressiveness of coronavirus response

Photo / Maureen Milliken Gov. Janet Mills on March 12 asks Mainers to take precautions related to COVID-19 as the state's first case was announced. At right is Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC. Wallethub has ranked Maine 8th in the U.S. for its aggressive response to the virus.

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By Maureen Milliken

Maine ranks 8th among the states for its aggressive response to COVID-19, in a list compiled by financial website WalletHub.

WalletHub used 46 metrics to determine how aggressive states have been in their response to the the virus, based on guidelines for limiting exposure from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. The ranking was compiled Monday, the day before Gov. Janet Mills mandated that nonessential businesses close their physical presence.

The data set ranges from tested cases of COVID-19 per capita and state legislation on the pandemic to the uninsured population and share of the workforce in affected industries.

"Many states have taken the CDC’s advice and have legally enforced social distancing, to the point of banning even small gatherings, closing all non-essential businesses, shutting down schools and even ordering residents to shelter in place in some cases," WalletHub said in an article with the ranking.

"Other states have focused on laws ensuring greater funding for combating the pandemic or guaranteeing that treatment is covered by insurance. Some states have even taken hygiene into their own hands — for example, New York is manufacturing its own hand sanitizer to deal with shortages."

Maine scored 11th for prevention and containment; 31st for risk factors and infrastructure (the amount of testing, cases and available health care); 15th for economic impact; and 25th for improvement over the March 16 ranking.

Top-ranked states are California, Rhode Island, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and Maine. At the bottom of the list are Mississippi, at 51st; Nevada, 50th and Tennessee, 49th.

This week Maine launched a 211 option for Mainers to get answers to questions about COVID-19 at any time. This service is available by dialing 211 (or 1-866-811-5695), texting your ZIP code to 898-211, or emailing info@211maine.org.