Rural America saw record levels of new coronavirus cases and deaths last week; see Daily Yonder's interactive map

Rates of new coronavirus infections, Jan. 3-9
Daily Yonder map; click the image to enlarge it; click here for the interactive version.

Rural America saw record numbers of new coronavirus infections and Covid-19 deaths in the first week of the year, "showing that a slight respite over the holidays was the result of interruptions in test reporting, not waning strength in the pandemic," Tim Murphy and Tim Marema report for The Daily Yonder. Nonmetropolitan counties reported 232,239 new infections Jan. 3-9. "That’s a 35% increase from the previous week, when numerous states fell behind in daily coronavirus reports because of Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. Covid-19-related deaths also set a record in rural counties last week, at 4,084." Metropolitan counties also saw record-breaking new infections last week.

Click here for more data, charts, and insights from the Yonder, including an interactive map with the latest county-level data.