New rural covid-19 cases hit record – and increasing – highs for at least four days straight through June 26

New covid-19 cases in nonmetropolitan counties. Red bars are days in which the record for most new cases was broken.
(Daily Yonder chart; click the image to enlarge it.)

Rural counties saw record numbers of new covid-19 cases for at least four days in a row last week.

"The streak started on Tuesday, June 23, when there were 3,885 new cases of covid-19 in nonmetropolitan, or rural, counties. The figure climbed each day, reaching 4,550 new cases on Friday, June 26," Tim Marema reports for The Daily Yonder. The previous rural record was 2,655 new infections on June 12.

Covid-19 cases are rising overall in the U.S., but rural cases are increasing at a slightly faster rate than the national average. From June 20 through 26, covid-19 cases increased 9.5 percent, while rural cases climbed 11.9%. Cities with populations between 500,000 and 1 million saw the steepest increases in that time frame, at 13.9%. Click here for more Daily Yonder information and analysis on covid-19 cases, including links to county-level data.

New covid-19 cases in non-metropolitan counties. Red bars are days in which the record for most new cases was broken.