Montana ranks No. 1 in national stress levels by state
“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (1) – 4/7/20
A model from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation used to predict death tolls and hospital needs on a national and state-by-state basis—the very same used by state and federal governments and health organizations—is projecting a modest 22 total deaths in Montana through Aug. 4, should current social distancing precautions continue to be enforced and observed. This constitutes a large drop from the projected 270 reported last week, a drop from 0.024 percent to roughly 0.002 percent of the state’s entire population. In theory, while every life lost is a tragedy, this relatively low number should calm the nerves—well, according to TOP Data, Montana has ranked No. 1 for COVID-19-related stresses, based on a Google Trends study of search terms related to COVID-19. The study found there was adirect negative correlation between states that are the most stressed and whether or not they were under a state-wide shelter in place order, as Montana had a directive put into place by Gov. Bullock two days into the study dates, which spanned March 26 to April 2.
