COVID Cases Are Skyrocketing in These 5 States

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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As confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. approach nearly 7.8 million, five states have reported a more than 50 percent increase in new infections over the latest two-week period, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

North Carolina, Tennessee, Montana, New Mexico and Vermont have each seen a rise in new infections in the past week, from the total reported the previous week.

The percentage increase for each state below was calculated by comparing new case numbers for the weeks of September 28-October 4 (week 1) and October 5-11 (week 2), according to JHU.

Vermont

  • Week 1 (September 28 to October 4): 43 new cases.
  • Week 2 ( October 5 to 11): 83 new cases.
  • Increase from week 1 to week 2: 93 percent.
  • Total cases: 1,868.

While the average daily case count in Vermont statistically increased in the latest two-week period, the figure has remained flat from late April, after declining sharply from early April, when it peaked at 41 on April 6, according to JHU.

Tennessee

  • Week 1: 8,215 new cases.
  • Week 2: 13,507 new cases.
  • Increase: 64 percent.
  • Total cases: 214,717.

While average daily new infections in Tennessee saw a statistical rise in the latest 14-day period, the average count sharply declined from late July, when it peaked at 2,484 on July 29, according to JHU.

Montana

  • Week 1: 2,528 new cases.
  • Week 2: 4,067 new cases.
  • Increase: 61 percent.
  • Total cases: 18,702.

Average daily new cases in Montana rose on a sharp incline from early September, after flattening out for most of the outbreak. The average daily case count peaked at 671 on October 10, according to JHU.

North Carolina

  • Week 1: 8,930 new cases.
  • Week 2: 13,975 new cases.
  • Increase: 56 percent.
  • Total cases: 231,471.

The average daily case count in North Carolina rose sharply from late September through October, peaking at 2,126 on October 11, after declining from early July, according to JHU.

New Mexico

  • Week 1: 1,633 new cases.
  • Week 2: 2,506 new cases.
  • Increase: 53 percent.
  • Total cases: 32,983.

Average daily new cases in New Mexico rose on a sharp incline from early September, after dropping sharply from late July. The average count peaked at 407 on October 10, according to JHU.

Montana antimask protest coronavirus October 2020
People participate in a protest against wearing face masks outside the Gallatin County Public Health office on October 2 in Bozeman, Montana. The state is among five states that have each reported a more than... William Campbell/Getty Images

The wider picture

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 37.5 million people across the globe, including over 7.7 million in the U.S., since it was first reported in Wuhan, China. Globally, more than a million have died following infection, while more than 26.1 million have reportedly recovered as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The graphic below, produced by Statista, illustrates a survey of U.S. adults concerned about catching COVID-19.

U.S. adults concerned about catching COVID-19
STATISTA

The graphic below, also provided by Statista, illustrates the spread of COVID-19 among U.S. states.

Spread of COVID-19 cases in U.S.
STATISTA
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About the writer

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more