Quad Cities Ranks As One Of The Worst Places To Spend Thanksgiving
As we've seen over the past week, Iowa isn't doing too hot when it comes to COVID-19. Positivity rates are soaring, COVID-19 cases are climbing, and it's flu season. If we haven't enticed you to come celebrate Thanksgiving in the Quad Cities yet, a new study will definitely deter your from coming.
Earlier this week, I wrote about how Iowa is the only state and territory in the jurisdiction of the United States that is "very high" when it comes to influenza-like illnesses. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, the entire state has a positivity rate of 22.5% in the past 14 days. Illinois has a 7 day state positivity rate of 12.5%. Yeah, not too good on either side of the Mississippi.
COVID-19 is running rampant throughout both states and the QC, and with the holiday season in full swing, people will try to defy the odds and come to the Quad Cities to celebrate the holidays.
Am I saying you're going to catch COVID-19 if you come to QC? No. Is your chances higher if you go out in public, or celebrate with family members that you have no idea where they have been? Probably. Does it make more sense to do a virtual Thanksgiving? Absolutely.
A new study has come out from our friends at WalletHub where they ranked each state to find out which ones are the safest to celebrate Thanksgiving in. Iowa and Illinois are definitely towards the bottom of this list.
To find out which states are the safest to celebrate Thanksgiving, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 10 key metrics to see which provide the safest conditions for the Thanksgiving holiday. Their data set includes metrics examining how the state is handling the COVID-19 pandemic (things like positive tests and deaths per capita in the past week) and other indicators of general safety (crime rate, the average number of DUI-related fatalities in November, etc.).
After sorting through all of the data, Iowa landed pretty low on the list. Iowa ranked at #43 with a total score of 38.92. Iowa tied at 47th for the states with the most positive COVID-19 positive cases per capita in the past week.
Illinois isn't that far behind. Illinois landed at #35 on this list and had a score of 45.92. Illinois ranks as the 46th state with the highest COVID-19 hospitalizations in the past week.
Not looking too good Quad Cities! Maybe stay home, mask up, and stay inside this holiday season. Good luck trying to help out your relatives use Zoom!
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