MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
It was only a matter of time before someone ranked how individual states are doing addressing the coronavirus outbreak. Well, that time has come, and that someone is the personal finance website WalletHub. And let’s just say Tennessee and Mississippi did not fare well at all.
WalletHub ranked Mississippi 50th among the states and the District of Columbia in aggressively responding to the pandemic. Tennessee was only slightly better at 43rd.
One reason Tennessee’s showing is the fact that our per capita spending on public health in general – is quite low. And we have tested far fewer people for the coronavirus than most other states.
Whether the WalletHub rankings are relevant or not is debatable. Most people will say it is not. The rankings were published before Gov. Bill Lee yesterday overhauled his fiscal 2021 budget.
The change shifts $150 million to cover public health spending and puts $350 million into the state’s rainy day fund, most of which could be used for healthcare needs. That’s all well and good. But we simply must improve coronavirus testing, particularly in Shelby County. No doubt the reason Shelby’s confirmed cases remain low is because we really don’t know who’s walking around with the virus because of lack of testing.
So yes, forget the rankings. The state is getting better. Hopefully the testing will also get better, as we continue to play it safe.
And that’s my point of view. I’m Otis Sanford, for Local 24 News.