How Does South Dakota’s Flu Vaccine Rate Compare With the Rest of the United States?
While South Dakota continues to show up right smack dab in the middle of the COVID vaccination rates for all 50 states, we are among the leaders when it comes to protecting ourselves from the flu.
Stacker looked at the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and found that the Mount Rushmore State had the second-highest percentage of residents vaccinated, behind only Rhode Island.
According to the CDC’s Influenza Seasons Vaccination Coverage Trend Report, 55.4 percent of South Dakotans have had their influenza vaccine, that's nine percentage points higher than the national average.
The South Dakota Department of Health's flu vaccination campaign and Flu Near You tracking system are being credited for the big number of vaccines in the state.
STATES WITH HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF FLU VACCINES GIVEN
- Rhode Island - 56.8%
- South Dakota - 55.4%
- Massachusetts - 54.9%
- Maryland - 52.7%
- Connecticut - 52.4%
- Iowa - 51.9%
- Minnesota - 51.7%
- Nebraska - 51.5%
- Virginia - 51.4%
- Delaware - 51.0%
At last report, South Dakota has seen 3,226 cases of influenza this season, with 67 hospitalizations and two deaths.
STATES WITH HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF FLU VACCINES GIVEN
- Nevada - 38.4%
- Florida - 39.1%
- Wyoming - 39.9%
- Idaho - 40.0%
- Alaska - 40.9%
- Georgia - 41.8%
- Arizona - 41.9%
- Mississippi - 42.2%
- Oregon - 43.2%
- Montana - 43.4%
What's ironic about South Dakota's number two showing in flu vaccine rates is that a higher percentage of state residents (57.6%) are fully vaccinated against COVID, but that number is only tied for 26th nationally.
Across the country, 62.6 percent of Americans have their full complement of COVID shots, with Vermont (78%) leading the way and Idaho (46.5%) bringing up the rear.