US-controlled islands leading the way in vaccination rates

Despite their low COVID death rates, four US-controlled islands are leading most states in vaccination, aided by absence of the politicization plaguing vaccination campaign in mainland U.S.

The islands of Puerto Rico, American Samoa and Guam, have fully vaccinated over 80 percent of their population, putting them ahead of all US states with the exception of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is ahead of only Guam by one percent.

The success of these islands might have to do with lack of the political polarization that has worked against vaccination drives in many states, experts believe.

In a report by Statnews, Rafael Irizarry, a professor of applied statistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said, “The Republican/Democrat divide that is driving differences in vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. does not exist in Puerto Rico.”

Even Hawaii with a vaccination rate lower than the first three is ahead of more than two-thirds of all states at 77.7 percent full vaccination.

Only 6 US states/territories have crossed the 80% vaccination mark

American Samoa

Puerto Rico

Guam

Hawaii

250,000

150,000

200,000

Vaccine doses delivered per 100K

American Samoa

Puerto Rico

Guam

Hawaii

200,000

250,000

150,000

Doses delivered per 100K

American Samoa

Puerto Rico

Guam

Hawaii

150,000

200,000

250,000

Doses delivered per 100K

This trend brings into sharp focus the lingering vaccination hesitancy in many states. While health experts had anticipated some hesitancy in locations where the death rate might be low, the caution had always been to opt for vaccination regardless.

This is what makes the case of these islands surprising. They are among US-controlled territories (and states) with the lowest COVID fatalities till date.

Puerto Rico with a population of 3.3million has recorded 4,159 COVID deaths as of March 27, 2022. That is 0.8 percent of infections.

In contrast, Pennsylvania is the only state with high fatality to infection rate (1.6 percent) that has accelerated vaccination.

States like Alabama for instance which has had over 19,000 COVID fatalities, has only fully vaccinated half of the population.

The islands have lower COVID death rates than most states

Pennsylvania

1.6 %

Mississippi

New Jersey

Michigan

Alabama

Arizona

Georgia

Connecticut

Ohio

Nevada

New Mexico

Maryland

Missouri

Louisiana

Indiana

Oklahoma

Arkansas

West Virginia

New York

Texas

Tennessee

Florida

Iowa

Illinois

South Dakota

South Carolina

Montana

Virginia

Massachusetts

Wyoming

Kentucky

Delaware

Idaho

Kansas

Oregon

California

Rhode Island

District of Columbia

North Dakota

Maine

Wisconsin

Colorado

Minnesota

North Carolina

Nebraska

Washington

New Hampshire

0.8 %

Puerto Rico

0.7 %

Guam

Virgin Islands

Hawaii

0.5 %

Vermont

Utah

Alaska

Northern Mariana Islands

American Samoa

0.1 %

Marshall Islands

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

Death per 100 infections

Pennsylvania

1.6 %

Mississippi

New Jersey

Michigan

Alabama

Arizona

Georgia

Connecticut

Ohio

Nevada

New Mexico

Maryland

Missouri

Louisiana

Indiana

Oklahoma

Arkansas

West Virginia

New York

Texas

Tennessee

Florida

Iowa

Illinois

South Dakota

South Carolina

Montana

Virginia

Massachusetts

Wyoming

Kentucky

Delaware

Idaho

Kansas

Oregon

California

Rhode Island

District of Columbia

North Dakota

Maine

Wisconsin

Colorado

Minnesota

North Carolina

Nebraska

Washington

New Hampshire

Puerto Rico

0.8 %

Guam

0.7 %

Virgin Islands

Hawaii

0.5 %

Vermont

Utah

Alaska

Northern Mariana Islands

American Samoa

0.1 %

Marshall Islands

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

Death per 100 infections

Pennsylvania

1.6 %

Mississippi

New Jersey

Michigan

Alabama

Arizona

Georgia

Connecticut

Ohio

Nevada

New Mexico

Maryland

Missouri

Louisiana

Indiana

Oklahoma

Arkansas

West Virginia

New York

Texas

Tennessee

Florida

Iowa

Illinois

South Dakota

South Carolina

Montana

Virginia

Massachusetts

Wyoming

Kentucky

Delaware

Idaho

Kansas

Oregon

California

Rhode Island

District of Columbia

North Dakota

Maine

Wisconsin

Colorado

Minnesota

North Carolina

Nebraska

Washington

New Hampshire

Puerto Rico

0.8 %

Guam

0.7 %

Virgin Islands

Hawaii

0.5 %

Vermont

Utah

Alaska

Northern Mariana Islands

American Samoa

0.1 %

Marshall Islands

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

Death per 100 infections

Even though American Samoa has just eight COVID fatalities, it also took an approach that contrasts with the controversies that have dogged vaccination discourse in mainland U.S. It locked down the U.S. territory for two days in September 2021 just for vaccination. The World Health Organization says that lockdown helped increase Samoa’s full vaccination rate by 10 percent.