In these 19 states, more people died from COVID in 2021 than in 2020

With nearly three months remaining in 2021, 19 states reported a higher number of deaths from COVID-19 than in 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The states that have reported a higher number of deaths vary in size, geography, and political orientation. Many relatively small and highly vaccinated states reported low numbers of deaths in 2020 and 2021.

Maine saw the largest percentage increase at 33 percent, according to CDC data. In 2021, it reported 697 deaths, up from 465 in 2020. Deaths peaked in the state in January, when 245 were reported. They continued to decline until August. In September, the death toll climbed again to 115.

Florida has also reported a relatively high increase in deaths, according to the CDC. In 2020, 21,828 people died in Florida. That number has risen to 31,992 so far in 2021. Florida has been at the center of the debate over how lawmakers should handle the virus, especially with regard to school mask warrants. Deaths peaked in August, when 10,128 people died from the virus, by far the state’s deadliest month since the start of the pandemic.

Maine and Florida also top the list of states with the oldest population, which are generally more vulnerable to COVID-19 than younger ones. West Virginia and Vermont, which have reported higher death tolls, are third and fourth.

Some states with increasing COVID deaths have low vaccination rates.

West Virginia, which has the lowest vaccination rate in the United States, has seen a 20% increase in deaths from COVID-19, from 1,560 in 2020 to 1,963 in 2021.

Several other states where less than half of the population is fully vaccinated have seen an increase in deaths from COVID, including Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Arkansas. Cases in those states peaked in the early months of the year, but have increased significantly since August, when the Delta variant became the dominant strain of the virus in the United States.

In contrast, Vermont, which has the highest vaccination rate, reported a slightly higher number of deaths from COVID – 149 in 2021, up from 145 in 2020. As in Maine, most deaths have been reported at the beginning of the year. when the COVID-19 vaccine was not widely available to most Americans.

Hawaii, also a small, highly vaccinated state, has seen an increase in deaths from COVID, although deaths peaked in August. Amid the upsurge in cases, experts have called for an increase in testing among tourists, according to United States today.

Other states that reported more COVID deaths in 2021 include Washington, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Kentucky, Nevada, California, Oregon, Tennessee and Alaska, according to CDC data.

North Dakota and South Dakota, both hit hard by the pandemic in 2020, reported significantly lower deaths from COVID in 2021, dropping 362 and 263 percent, respectively.

New York City has also seen a sharp drop in the number of deaths from COVID. In 2020, when the city made headlines for being a hotspot, it reported 22,284 deaths. That number is 7,881 so far in 2021.

Nationwide, deaths from COVID have declined, as 312,946 have been reported so far in 2021, up from 385,267. Public health experts say COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to avoid infection and death; even vaccinated people who contract the virus usually report milder symptoms.

According to the CDC, only 5,226 vaccinated people died from the virus.