COVID Deaths Are Rising Fastest in These Five States

Life and Trends Reporter

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Total confirmed coronavirus deaths in the U.S. are approaching nearly 228,000, as of Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. A handful of states have each reported a rise in new deaths per capita (100,000 people) in the latest 14-day period.

Below are five states that have seen the greatest increase in new deaths per capita over the past seven days, from the previous week, according to data compiled by The New York Times. All population data below from the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 2019.

Tennessee

Week-to-week increase in new deaths per capita: 118

New deaths per capita in week one (most recent week): 263
New deaths per capita in week two (previous week): 145
Total confirmed deaths: 3,209
Total population: 6,829,174

Average daily new deaths in Tennessee have been rising on a sharper incline since July, after flattening out for months since late March, according to Worldometer.

Missouri

Week-to-week increase in new deaths per capita: 106

New deaths per capita in week one (most recent week): 224
New deaths per capita in week two (previous week): 118
Total confirmed deaths: 2,940
Total population: 6,137,428

The average daily death toll in Missouri rose on a sharper incline from mid-September, after remaining flat for most of the outbreak in the state since late March, according to Worldometer.

Wisconsin

Week-to-week increase in new deaths per capita: 88

New deaths per capita in week one (most recent week): 246
New deaths per capita in week two (previous week): 158
Total confirmed deaths: 1,953
Total population: 5,822,434

Average daily new deaths in Wisconsin rose on a sharp incline from late September. The average count remained flat for most of the outbreak in the state since late March, according to data compiled by Worldometer.

Wisconsin had the fifth highest number of deaths per capita in the country over the past week, according to the latest report Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Wyoming

Week-to-week increase in new deaths per capita: 12

New deaths per capita in week one (most recent week): 16
New deaths per capita in week two (previous week): 4
Total confirmed deaths: 77
Total population: 578,759

Average daily new deaths in Wyoming have been increasing on a sharp incline since late October. The average count flattened out for most of the outbreak in the state from late mid-April, according to Worldometer.

North Dakota

Week-to-week increase in new deaths per capita: 9

New deaths per capita in week one (most recent week): 66
New deaths per capita in week two (previous week): 57
Total confirmed deaths: 493
Total population: 762,062

The average daily death toll in North Dakota has been rising sharply since mid-September, after remaining flat for most of the outbreak since late March, according to Worldometer.

North Dakota had the highest number of deaths per capita in the country over the last seven days, as of Wednesday, according to the CDC.

Nashville, Tennessee, March 2020 — A view of Printers Alley in Nashville, Tennessee on March 31. Tennessee is among a handful of states where COVID-19 deaths per capita increased in the latest two-week period. Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images

The wider picture

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 44.6 million people across the globe since it was first reported in Wuhan, China, including over 8.8 million in the U.S. Globally, more than 1.1 million have died following infection, while more than 30.1 million have reportedly recovered as of Thursday, according to JHU.

The graphic below, produced by Statista, illustrates the spread of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.