Since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the United States on January 21st, over a half million people in the U.S. have confirmed cases of COVID-19. In the last week, the U.S. became the nation with the most deaths globally, but there are early signs that the U.S. case and death rate may be leveling off, as the growth of new cases and deaths plateaus. The pattern isn't consistent across the country, as new hotspots emerge and others subside.
In response to mounting cases, state and federal authorities have emphasized a social distancing strategy, widely seen as the best available means to slow the spread of the virus. Most states have put in place measures such as closing schools and nonessential businesses and ordering citizens to stay home as much as possible.
It's not clear how long such measures need to be in place to see lasting effect. In the Wuhan, the city in China where the virus originated, a strictly enforced lockdown and widespread testing has slowed the outbreak dramatically, enough to bring an end to the 76-day lockdown.
A large portion of U.S. cases are centered around New York City. Since March 20, New York State, Connecticut, and New Jersey have accounted for around 50% of all U.S. cases. As of April 9, nearly 60% of all deaths from COVID-19 have been in these three states. While New York state appears to be reaching a plateau, as seen below, it notched between 8,000 and 10,000 new cases each day between March 31 and April 12.
To understand how one state's outbreak compares to another, it's helpful to look at not just the daily counts, but the rate of change day over day. In the following chart, we display cases on a logarithmic scale, meaning that every axis line is ten times greater than the previous. This type of scale emphasizes the rate of change.
When case counts grow very quickly, a state's curve tends sharply upward, as New York's does over the first 15 days past 100 cases. Generally, this is evidence of unbridled community transmission of the disease. As new cases slow, the curve bends towards horizontal, showing that the state's outbreak may be leveling off. This doesn't mean cases have stopped growing, but the growth has slowed, which could signify that social distancing measures are having an effect.
Tracking The Pandemic: How Quickly Is The Coronavirus Spreading State By State?
![Tracking The Pandemic: How Quickly Is The Coronavirus Spreading State By State?]()
Reviewed by Raj Tech Info
on
April 16, 2020
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