Maps show spread of covid-19 to rural and Trump counties

New high-prevalence covid-19 counties through April 19 (left) and from April 20-May 31 (right). Brookings maps.

The coronavirus initially hit large urban areas, most of which went for Hillary Clinton in 2016. "However, covid-19 is continuing to spread to more parts of the country; since late April, counties with a high prevalence of cases have transitioned from 'blue' America to 'red,' where arguments for immediate reopening have been more pervasive," William Frey reports for Brookings.

High-prevalence covid-19 counties by population,
March 29-May 31 (Brookings chart)

According to a Brookings analysis, counties that were newly designated as having a high covid-19 prevalence—at least 100 cases per 100,000 people—in the six week between April 20 and May 31 were more rural, less racially diverse, and more likely to have voted for President Trump in 2016 than counties with a high covid-19 prevalence before mid-April, Frey reports.

"Clearly, the demographic attributes of the most recently identified high-prevalence counties are more favorable to Trump, given his popularity in smaller and rural areas and among white voters," Frey reports. Here's a Brookings map showing how high-case counties increasingly became more common in rural areas: