Which are the safest states in the US for students amid COVID-19?

Is travelling to the US safe amid rising Omicron cases? The US has been urging Americans to get their booster shots to curb the surge, but what should international students in the US know about the current situation?

Here’s a breakdown of what’s going on in each state:

Travelling to the US? Find out what the COVID-19 situation is

If you’re planning on travelling to the US and are wondering about the vaccination and hospitalisation rates in the US, The New York Times has a table of COVID-19 state and county trends in the US.

Its update for Jan. 28, 2022 notes that new coronavirus cases are falling rapidly across the country, but hospitalisations remain near peak levels, and deaths are rising.

A map of the US, highlighting the hotspots (average daily cases per 100,000 people in the past week). Source: The New York Times

The New York Times’ map of the US highlights hotspots or the average daily cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days in different areas, with darker hues signifying a higher number. In identifying safer areas, it could be useful to look at rates of COVID-19 transmission, testing, hospitalisations and death, and the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

Average daily cases by state

Top 10 US states with the worst average daily cases in descending order (as of Feb.1, 2022). Source: The New York Times

This table shows the top 10 US states with the worst average daily cases in descending order. Until now, California carries the most cases, but it is also the state with the highest vaccination rate at 69% among the top 10 locations.

1. California – 85,588 average daily cases

2. Texas – 36,940 average daily cases

3. Florida – 28,254 average daily cases

4. Washington – 24,554 average daily cases

5. North Carolina – 24,197  average daily cases

Vermont and Rhode Island have the highest vaccination rate at 79%, while California and Texas have the highest daily hospitalisation rate at 15,307 and 14,135 respectively at the time of writing.

States with the most cases per 100,000 residents

Screenshot taken from The New York Times, as of Feb.1, 2022. Source: The New York Times

This table shows the top 10 states in the US with the worst 14-day difference in descending order. Guam has had a 100% increase in cases in the last 14 days, followed by Montana at 79%.

County trends

Source: The New York Times

The table above shows the top 10 places with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days.

Source: The New York Times

In terms of total cases, Los Angeles has the highest rate, followed by New York City. Both areas have a vaccination rate of 70% and 76% respectively.

Students who are planning on travelling to the US should be vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control notes that non-US citizens who are non-immigrants (not a US citizen, US national, lawful permanent resident, or travelling to the US on an immigrant visa) will need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before travelling by air to the US from a foreign country.”

“Some categories of non-citizen, nonimmigrants are excepted from this requirement. If you meet the criteria for one of these categories, you will need to fulfill additional requirements to travel by air to the US,” it said.