Blue states are predominantly grappling with coronavirus outbreaks as the omicron variant spreads across the world, while mostly red states see the lowest daily rate of new cases.
“Sooner or later, we’re going to see cases of this new variant here in the U.S.,” President Biden said Monday at the White House. “We’ll have to face this new threat like we’ve faced those that have come before it.”
He stressed the importance of being vaccinated and said people must “understand that you have to get your vaccine, you have to get the shot, have to get the booster.”
As the U.S. braces for the new variant, states with the highest daily rate of news cases are predominantly led by Democrats who have long embraced mandates on masking and vaccines.
As of Monday, Michigan has the highest daily rate of new cases per 100,000 residents with 85, according to the New York Times, followed by New Hampshire with 73, New Mexico with 67, and Vermont and Minnesota both with 61. All the states in the top five voted for president Biden in the 2020 election.
Michigan had some of the most strict coronavirus lockdowns last year as the virus spread across the country, which resulted in bars and restaurants being shut down across the state and eventual protests at the Capitol building in Lansing.
Vermont, meanwhile, has the highest vaccination rate in the country, with nearly 72% of its residents being fully vaccinated, according to CDC data this month. And the surge in New Mexico comes after Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham twice extended the state’s indoor mask mandate this fall through Dec. 10. and also expanded booster eligibility of state residents.
When looking at that statistic over a weeklong period ending this past Sunday, Minnesota leads the nation with 426 new cases per 100,000 residents, followed by Michigan with 388.6, Wisconsin with 387.7, North Dakota with 361.5 and New Hampshire with 360.2, data from the CDC shows. All the states in the top five voted for president Biden in the 2020 election.