Georgia’s Coronavirus Response Ranks Among Worst In U.S.: Index

GEORGIA — Georgia’s strategy to curb the spread of coronavirus last year was ranked among the least effective in the nation, according to a new analysis by UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute.

The most effective states, according to research published in the institute’s 2020 Inclusiveness Index, were those that put in place mitigation measures based on scientific data.

The institute's annual Inclusiveness Index typically ranks states and countries on their levels of inclusivity using six measures: outgroup violence, political representation, income inequality, anti-discrimination laws, rates of incarceration, and immigration and asylum policies.

The Institute added COVID-19 response to its 2020 index.

“What is clear, however, is that the pandemic has had a severe and disproportionate impact on communities of color, the elderly, and people with disabilities,” the report says. “Moreover, the response to the pandemic has revealed or exacerbated dysfunctions in our health care systems and governance.”

To compile the ranking, the Othering & Belonging Institute measured the performance of all 50 states and 172 countries primarily based on three factors: rates of infection, deaths and testing.

The data revealed a trend: state governments that were more aggressive in issuing mask mandates, stay-at-home orders, and physical distancing rules fared better than states that did not.

Georgia ranked 36th among the states. Earlier this month Gov. Brian Kemp signaled his intention to fully open Georgia amid expanding vaccinations and despite a plateau in COVID-19 cases.

"We are open," Kemp said of the state. "We have been open."

On March 26, he sent out a message via social media calling for the state to fully rollback public restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the deadly virus with a nod to reactivating businesses in the state to pre-pandemic operating levels.

The governor's public health state of emergency, which was issued in March of last year and has been extended month over month since then, is set to expire on April 30, while the current COVID-19 guidance in Georgia runs through Wednesday, April 7.

And on Thursday, April 8, Kemp's executive order will become effective, eliminating gathering bans, shelter-in-place requirements and reduces any remaining distance requirements, among other things.

Vermont, Alaska, and Maine were the three most effective states in responding to the coronavirus pandemic last year, the analysis said.

On the other end of the spectrum, the state with the poorest response to the virus according to the institute's measures was South Dakota, followed by Iowa and Mississippi.

The worst-performing states, which also included Arizona and New Jersey saw significant outbreaks among communities of color and other vulnerable residents. In South Dakota, one out of every 500 residents died from COVID-19 last year, the report said.

Globally, the three most successful responses to COVID-19 came from the United Arab Emirates, Denmark, and Iceland. Other successful countries profiled in the report include New Zealand, Vietnam and Rwanda.

The bottom three countries on the list were San Marino, Montenegro and Belgium, all small European countries.

The United States, then led by President Donald Trump, ranked 161 out of 172 countries, placing it among the bottom 6 percent of countries.

Brazil and the United Kingdom were also near the bottom of the scale, scoring rankings of 155 and 141, respectively.

Read more about this year’s index.