Five States Where Coronavirus Cases Are Falling Fastest

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surpassed 6.8 million, with over 200,000 deaths, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University (JHU). But at least a handful of states have each reported a decline in new cases per capita (100,000 people) in the latest two-week period.

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

South Carolina

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 1,468

• New cases per capita in week one: 5,444
• New cases per capita in week two: 6,912
• Total population: 5,148,714
• Total confirmed cases: 138,124

Average daily new cases in South Carolina remained mostly flat from early April to early June before rising on a sharp incline through early July, peaking at 1,986 on July 11. The average daily case count mostly declined through September 9. It rose sharply through September 12, before dropping again, according to the latest report Tuesday by JHU.

Louisiana

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 1,007

• New cases per capita in week one: 3,619
• New cases per capita in week two: 4,626
• Total population: 4,648,794
• Total confirmed cases: 162,501

Average daily new cases in Louisiana rose sharply from mid-March to early April before dropping sharply through late April. From then, the average daily case count mostly flattened out through late June. It mostly increased through early August, peaking at 2,727 on August 3, and mostly dropped throughout September, according to the latest report Tuesday by JHU.

Michigan

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 386

• New cases per capita in week one: 5,379
• New cases per capita in week two: 5,765
• Total population: 9,986,857
• Total confirmed cases: 129,655

Average daily new cases rose sharply from mid-March to early April, peaking at 1,757 on April 2. The average daily case count mostly declined through early June before mostly rising through mid-August, after which it mostly flattened out through September, according to the latest report Tuesday by JHU.

Hawaii

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 276

• New cases per capita in week one: 703
• New cases per capita in week two: 979
• Total population: 1,415,872
• Total confirmed cases: 11,590

Average daily new cases in Hawaii remained mostly flat from late March to late July, before rising sharply through mid-August. The average daily case count slightly flattened out through early September before dropping sharply again through the rest of September, according to the latest report Tuesday by JHU.

Delaware

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 76

• New cases per capita in week one: 730
• New cases per capita in week two: 806
• Total population: 973,764
• Total confirmed cases: 19,667

The average daily case count in Delaware rose sharply from mid-March to April 27, when it peaked at 333. It then mostly declined through early June before mostly flattening out through early August. Average daily new cases rose sharply through mid-August before dipping through early September, according to the latest report Tuesday by JHU.

The wider picture

The novel coronavirus has infected over 31.3 million people across the globe since it was first reported in Wuhan, China. Over 965,800 have died following infection, while more than 21.5 million have reportedly recovered, as of Tuesday, according to JHU.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, illustrates U.S. states with the most COVID-19 cases.

The below graphic, also provided by Statista, illustrates the percentage of Americans who do or don't want COVID-19 restrictions to be relaxed in the country.

The graphics below, also provided by Statista, illustrate the spread of COVID-19 cases in counties across the globe.

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