Rhode Island tops the nation in vaccinations

For once, good news for Rhody in national rankings

By Will Collette

Local MAGA politicians seeking office like anti-vaxxers Westin Place, Justin Price and Elaine Morgan aren’t going to like this news. According to the often-quoted national ranking service Wallethub, Rhode Island leads the US in effectively vaccinating its people against communicable diseases.

The World Health Organization credits vaccines with saving up to five million lives yearly. Vaccines also reduce hospitalization, health care costs, lost work and school time, far outweighing any real or imaginary side effects.

Rhode Island, like the rest of the country has been experiencing a spike in COVID cases but the effects are lessened by widespread vaccination. The key point to remember is to make sure you stay current with your shots.

Rhode Island is #1 in getting teenagers to be vaccinated against HPV, the virus that causes cervical and other deadly serious forms of cancer. Charlestown Citizens Alliance leader Ruth Platner recently publicly revealed she has “small tumor, a squamous cell carcinoma, in my throat,” an HPV-related cancer.

I commend Ruth for going public with this and to also pointing out that we have a vaccine that actually prevents this cancer. I wish her a full and speedy recovery. But this doesn’t change the face I still disagree with her policies and practices and oppose her candidacy for the Town Council.

Personally, I do not miss the opportunity to get vaccinated. As I age, soon to turn 75, I know I am increasingly vulnerable. So I stay current on my flu and COVID shots and have gotten vaccinated for RSV, pneumonia and shingles.

And why not? Medicare covers virtually all immunizations as do most insurance plans. It’s smart policy to not only save lives but also the hit to the economy.

Most “Blue” states hold that point of view. Wallethub’s Top Ten list includes all six New England states, plus Washington state, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Minnesota.

Nine of the 10 worst states are “Red” or “Purple” states, with Mississippi being the worst along with Alaska, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida (where GOP governor Ron DeSantis is aggressively anti-vax), Wyoming, Nevada, New Jersey, Arizona and Alabama. New Jersey stands out as a peculiar outlier in this Bottom Ten list.

Here is Wallethub’s breakdown of Rhode Island’s results:

Vaccination in Rhode Island (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• Overall rank: 1^st 
• 2^nd – Influenza Vaccination Rate in Children Aged 6 Months to 17 Years Old
• 1^st – Share of Teenagers Aged 13-17 with Up-To-Date HPV Vaccination
• 4^th – Share of Teenagers Aged 13-17 with Men ACWY Vaccination
• 2^nd – Flu Vaccination Coverage Rate Among Adults
• 16^th – Share of Adults with Tetanus Vaccination
• 22^nd – Share of Adults Aged 60 and Older with Zoster Vaccination
• 6^th – Share of Children 19-35 Months old Living in Poverty with Combined 7-Vaccine Series
• 5^th – Share of Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population without Health Insurance Coverage
• 11^th – Share of Children Under 6 Years Old Participating in an Immunization Information System

For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-that-vaccinate-the-most/66237