Rural counties see rising coronavirus infection rates for fifth week straight, at a pace slightly more than urban rate

New coronavirus infections, in ranges by county, May 9-15
Map by The Daily Yonder; click on the image to enlarge it or click here for the interactive version.

Rural counties reported about 44,000 new coronavirus infections May 9-15. That's an increase of about one-third from the previous week's 33,000 new cases and marks five straight weeks of rising infection rates. "New infections in metropolitan counties also grew, but at a slightly slower pace," Tim Marema reports for The Daily Yonder. "Rural counties reported about 44,000 new infections last week, up from about 33,000 two weeks ago." The true infection rate is undoubtedly higher, since many people diagnose themselves via at-home test and self-treat without reporting their infection. Also, Florida didn't report its cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week.

Meanwhile, Covid-related deaths fell in rural and metropolitan counties last week. "Rural counties reported 414 deaths, down 13% from two weeks ago. Metropolitan counties reported 1,598 deaths, down about 20% from two weeks ago," Marema reports. "The Covid-related death rate has been higher in rural America than in urban America for 88 out of the last 93 weeks. Cumulatively, the rural death rate is more than a third higher than the metropolitan death rate."