Two-thirds of rural counties and three-fourths of metropolitan counties were in the Covid-19 red zone last week

New coronavirus infections, in ranges by county, June 21-27
Map by The Daily Yonder; click on the image to enlarge it or click here for the interactive version.

New coronavirus infections were stable in rural America last week, but nearly 1,300 of the nation's rural counties, about two-thirds, were in the federal red zone. Red-zone counties are those with at least 100 new infections per 100,000 people. The high proportion of red-zone rural counties indicates "that they were having difficulty containing the spread of the coronavirus," Tim Marema reports for The Daily Yonder. The number of red-zone rural counties last week was "10 times higher than the number of rural counties than were in the red zone at the end of the Omicron surge in late winter." In comparison, more than 80% of metro counties were in the red zone last week.

"Despite the growth in the number of red-zone counties, the overall infection rates in both rural and metropolitan counties have remained relatively stable. That could be an indication that vaccinations and mitigation practices are helping contain the virus," Marema reports. "Another factor could be a reduction in the reporting of infections because of more at-home testing for the virus." Click here for more charts, regional analysis, and county-level interactive maps from the Yonder.