Counties in every state with the highest COVID-19 infection rates

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June 17, 2020
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Counties in every state with the highest COVID-19 infection rates

The rates of coronavirus infections vary dramatically across the country, sometimes to puzzling extremes. One locale might be crowded and bustling, the other remote and rural.

Stacker decided to take a close look at COVID-19 rates around the country and what lies behind them.

Many hard-hit areas are majority-Black, illustrating the devastatingly unequal toll the pandemic has taken. Some of the highest rates have occurred among Native Americans, especially the Navajo Nation, which has had nearly double the national per capita rate of COVID-19 deaths.

Other high rates turn up in locales with correctional facilities. Prisons have proved to be frighteningly effective incubators once the virus gets inside. Still other high rates turn up among immigrants, many of whom remained on the job as essential workers in agricultural fields during the pandemic. Some of the worst outbreaks have been in slaughterhouses and meat processing plants, where workers say they are not safe.

To determine which counties in every state have the highest COVID-19 infection rates, Stacker consulted the New York Times COVID-19 data repository, which includes case and death values compiled from state and local health agencies. We compared county-level case numbers to county populations, using population data compiled from the U.S. Census’ 2018 American Community Survey. Overall data on the numbers of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 in every state are also included. The COVID-19 values in this story are accurate as of June 16, 2020, and recount all cases and deaths since this information was first reported by individual states and counties.

[Pictured: Philadelphia County]

Alabama

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 26,912 cases, 785 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Lowndes County: 403 cases (3.94% of county population), 15 deaths
--- #2. Bullock County: 310 cases (2.99% of county population), 9 deaths
--- #3. Butler County: 551 cases (2.75% of county population), 25 deaths

Lowndes County, which is in central Alabama southeast of Montgomery, is sparsely populated and majority-Black. Almost one in three people live in poverty. The unemployment rate hit 26% with manufacturing plants closing due to the pandemic.

[Pictured: Lowndes County]

Alaska

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 751 cases, 10 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Bristol Bay Borough: 4 cases (0.45% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #2. Kenai Peninsula Borough: 120 cases (0.21% of county population), 1 death
--- #3. Ketchikan Gateway Borough: 22 cases (0.16% of county population), 0 deaths

Kenai Peninsula, located in the south of Alaska, is home to rural fishing communities, Alaska Native villages, and oil and gas infrastructure. While the county has an official count of 120 cases as of June 16, state officials there are monitoring about 300 people, including the "close contacts" of people who have tested positive. Testing capacity broadened in southern Alaska in late May and early June, allowing for more cases to be identified and traced.

[Pictured: Kenai Peninsula Borough]

 

Arizona

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 39,298 cases, 1,228 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Apache County: 1,996 cases (2.79% of county population), 57 deaths
--- #2. Santa Cruz County: 1,217 cases (2.61% of county population), 13 deaths
--- #3. Navajo County: 2,749 cases (2.53% of county population), 88 deaths

Most of the Apache and Navajo counties are on the Navajo Indian Reservation, which has been one of the worst-hit parts of the country in the pandemic. The nation's largest reservation has had nearly double the national per capita rate of deaths. Tribal members suffer from high rates of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, all of which raise their risk of falling seriously ill from COVID-19.

[Pictured: Navajo County]

 

Arkansas

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 13,191 cases, 188 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Lincoln County: 995 cases (7.27% of county population), 11 deaths
--- #2. Lee County: 545 cases (5.80% of county population), 1 death
--- #3. St. Francis County: 779 cases (2.96% of county population), 3 deaths

Lincoln County is part of the Pine Bluff metropolitan area in central Arkansas. Most of its coronavirus cases are tied to the state prison system’s Cummins Unit, where some 600 prisoners tested positive as of April 20. Four inmates there died of COVID-19.

[Pictured: St. Francis County]

 

California

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 159,098 cases, 5,202 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Imperial County: 4,389 cases (2.44% of county population), 51 deaths
--- #2. Kings County: 1,870 cases (1.25% of county population), 9 deaths
--- #3. Los Angeles County: 75,084 cases (0.74% of county population), 2,959 deaths

Imperial County’s two hospitals stopped admitting COVID-19 patients after a surge of patients who were U.S. citizens living in Mexico. The county bordering Mexico has less than 300 hospital beds, and with the hospitals overwhelmed, COVID-19 patients have been transferred as far away as northern California.

[Pictured: Imperial County]

Colorado

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 29,427 cases, 1,617 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Logan County: 633 cases (2.92% of county population), 5 deaths
--- #2. Morgan County: 646 cases (2.29% of county population), 45 deaths
--- #3. Saguache County: 99 cases (1.53% of county population), 2 deaths

Located in the grasslands of northeastern Colorado, Logan County is home to the Sterling Correctional Facility, which had one of the state’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks. As of June 6, nearly all of the county’s coronavirus cases and three deaths have occurred among the inmates at the largest state prison, which has the capacity to house 2,500 prisoners.

[Pictured: Morgan County]

 

Connecticut

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 45,349 cases, 4,210 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Fairfield County: 16,359 cases (1.73% of county population), 1,350 deaths
--- #2. New Haven County: 12,078 cases (1.41% of county population), 1,046 deaths
--- #3. Hartford County: 11,261 cases (1.26% of county population), 1,330 deaths

Fairfield County sits along the state line with New York City, the early epicenter of the pandemic in the United States. The governors of the two states coordinated efforts to battle the outbreak, although Connecticut opted to reopen restaurants earlier than its neighbor did.

[Pictured: New Haven County]

 

Delaware

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 10,403 cases, 424 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Sussex County: 4,428 cases (2.02% of county population), 150 deaths
--- #2. Kent County: 1,573 cases (0.90% of county population), 84 deaths
--- #3. New Castle County: 4,386 cases (0.79% of county population), 190 deaths

Delaware governor John Carney declared coastal Sussex County, where the popular Rehoboth Beach is located, a hotspot in April. He said the county was seeing more coronavirus cases, especially along its main north-south roadway. One local outbreak occurred among inmates at the Sussex County Community Correctional Center. Sussex beaches were reopened in time for the Memorial Day holiday in May.

[Pictured: Kent County]

 

Florida

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 80,101 cases, 2,992 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Liberty County: 220 cases (2.63% of county population), 1 death
--- #2. Hamilton County: 277 cases (1.94% of county population), 2 deaths
--- #3. Hendry County: 659 cases (1.64% of county population), 20 deaths

Liberty, the most rural county in Florida, dominated by the Apalachicola National Forest, was the last in the state to record a confirmed coronavirus case. Most of its cases are inmates at Liberty Correctional Institution, a 1,330-inmate men’s prison in Bristol that has had the most positive tests among inmates of all the state prisons.

[Pictured: Hamilton County]

 

Georgia

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 56,302 cases, 2,492 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Echols County: 162 cases (4.06% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #2. Randolph County: 191 cases (2.70% of county population), 23 deaths
--- #3. Chattahoochee County: 272 cases (2.53% of county population), 0 deaths

Rural Echols County in southeastern Georgia, which has about 4,000 residents, had a recent surge in COVID-19 cases after extensive testing was organized by a migrant farmworkers clinic. Many Echols residents are Spanish-speaking agricultural workers who advocates say may have difficulty practicing social distancing in their homes. Workers who make such low wages also are less likely to skip work if they fall sick, advocates say.

[Pictured: Randolph County]

Hawaii

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 728 cases, 17 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Maui County: 120 cases (0.07% of county population), 6 deaths
--- #2. Honolulu County: 505 cases (0.05% of county population), 11 deaths
--- #3. Hawaii County: 82 cases (0.04% of county population), 0 deaths

One of the state’s earliest outbreaks occurred among patients and workers at Maui Memorial Medical Center. The island of Maui is typically one of the most popular among tourists. One study by the Brookings Institution determined that the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina section of West Maui ranked as the nation’s second-most economically at-risk metropolitan area in the public health crisis, saying that 40% of local jobs were vulnerable, ranking behind Midland, Texas.

[Pictured: Maui County]

 

Idaho

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 3,543 cases, 89 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Blaine County: 515 cases (2.34% of county population), 5 deaths
--- #2. Jerome County: 211 cases (0.90% of county population), 3 deaths
--- #3. Lincoln County: 35 cases (0.66% of county population), 0 deaths

Blaine County, Idaho, was one of the first coronavirus epicenters in the nation, most likely due to someone among the thousands of winter tourists who visited its Sun Valley ski resort. Hundreds of cases broke out, and at the beginning of April, the mountain town had a higher rate of infection per capita than New York City. The small hospital nearby in Ketchum had to be partly shut down because so many of its doctors tested positive and had to quarantine.

[Pictured: Blaine County]

 

Illinois

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 134,866 cases, 6,608 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Cook County: 85,538 cases (1.64% of county population), 4,253 deaths
--- #2. Kane County: 7,223 cases (1.36% of county population), 234 deaths
--- #3. Lake County: 9,147 cases (1.30% of county population), 386 deaths

As an illustration of how coronavirus has hit Black communities particularly hard, more than 70% of the initial COVID-19 deaths in Chicago, which sits in Cook County, were African Americans. Black residents there have been dying at rates two to three times higher than have white residents. The rate of people contracting the disease has been highest in Chicago’s Latino communities. Experts suspect communities of color are particularly vulnerable due to preexisting health conditions and lack of access to medical care.

[Pictured: Cook County]

 

Indiana

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 41,780 cases, 2,447 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Cass County: 1,611 cases (4.23% of county population), 10 deaths
--- #2. Shelby County: 601 cases (1.35% of county population), 31 deaths
--- #3. Marion County: 10,950 cases (1.16% of county population), 699 deaths

Cass County is the site of Tyson Food's Logansport pork processing plant, where about 40% of its nearly 900 employees tested positive in May for coronavirus. After the plant outbreak, one out of every 24 Cass County residents tested positive as of May 15. The plant temporarily halted operations, but reopened with measures such as Plexiglas dividers between workstations, breakroom changes, more-frequent cleanings, and protective gear for employees.

[Pictured: Cass County]

 

Iowa

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 24,263 cases, 670 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Buena Vista County: 1,602 cases (7.91% of county population), 10 deaths
--- #2. Crawford County: 623 cases (3.64% of county population), 2 deaths
--- #3. Louisa County: 355 cases (3.16% of county population), 12 deaths

Buena Vista County in northwest Iowa has led the state in per capita coronavirus rates. Tyson Foods reported an outbreak at its Storm Lake pork processing plant, where a quarter of its 2,300 workers tested positive. Most of Storm Lake’s workers live in Buena Vista County.

[Pictured: Buena Vista County]

Kansas

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 11,569 cases, 246 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Ford County: 1,882 cases (5.46% of county population), 10 deaths
--- #2. Finney County: 1,543 cases (4.18% of county population), 10 deaths
--- #3. Seward County: 934 cases (4.12% of county population), 2 deaths

The Ford County outbreak is largely related to a high concentration of cases at meatpacking plants, health officials said. The county in southwestern Kansas is home to the National Beef Packing Co. and Cargill Inc. slaughterhouses in Dodge City, both of which have confirmed cases of coronavirus among their workers. Many workers in the plants are immigrants from Guatemala, Vietnam, Myanmar, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Cambodia. Plants in Ford and other counties in southwest Kansas account for more than a quarter of U.S. beef production, according to Kansas State Agricultural Economics professor Glynn Tonsor.

[Pictured: Ford County]

 

Kentucky

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 12,899 cases, 530 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Butler County: 244 cases (1.91% of county population), 13 deaths
--- #2. Muhlenberg County: 504 cases (1.62% of county population), 8 deaths
--- #3. Warren County: 1,279 cases (1.01% of county population), 10 deaths

An outbreak occurred in Butler County, where dozens of residents and staff tested positive at a local nursing home. It was one of dozens of outbreaks at nursing homes throughout the state. The annual Butler County Fair scheduled for late July and early August has been canceled.

[Pictured: Butler County]

 

Louisiana

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 47,818 cases, 3,042 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. East Carroll Parish: 243 cases (3.36% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #2. Madison Parish: 287 cases (2.50% of county population), 2 deaths
--- #3. Franklin Parish: 425 cases (2.09% of county population), 14 deaths

Before the pandemic, more than a third of adults in East Carroll Parish reported being in poor or only fair health, making them particularly susceptible to getting very sick from the coronavirus. About 70% of the East Carroll population is Black, another factor in high rates of COVID-19 illness.

[Pictured: East Carroll Parish]

 

Maine

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 2,819 cases, 101 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Cumberland County: 1,450 cases (0.50% of county population), 57 deaths
--- #2. Androscoggin County: 428 cases (0.40% of county population), 4 deaths
--- #3. York County: 450 cases (0.22% of county population), 11 deaths

The state’s first coronavirus-related death, a man in his 80s, was reported on March 27 in Cumberland County, where the city of Portland is located. One recent outbreak occurred at Portland’s Nichols Manufacturing, and other outbreaks have been reported at two of the city’s long-term care facilities and at a family shelter, where 15 clients tested positive.

[Pictured: Cumberland County]

 

Maryland

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 63,004 cases, 2,982 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Prince George's County: 17,992 cases (1.99% of county population), 644 deaths
--- #2. Montgomery County: 13,749 cases (1.32% of county population), 698 deaths
--- #3. Baltimore city: 6,790 cases (1.10% of county population), 304 deaths

New cases of COVID-19 have declined in Prince George’s County, just to the east of Washington, since peaking at the end of April, according to county executive Angela Alsobrooks. The county’s COVID-19 positivity rate remained high at almost 14%, but far lower than its peak of 43% in mid-April. The county’s retail stores, restaurants, barbershops, and salons are just starting to reopen with restrictions.

[Pictured: Prince George's County]

Massachusetts

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 105,885 cases, 7,664 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Suffolk County: 19,367 cases (2.45% of county population), 952 deaths
--- #2. Essex County: 15,667 cases (2.01% of county population), 1,052 deaths
--- #3. Plymouth County: 8,514 cases (1.66% of county population), 629 deaths

Suffolk County is home to Boston, where a recent virology analysis traced about two-thirds of its infection’s sources to arrivals from Western Europe and about a third from within North America, including Washignton state and possibly New York City, researchers said. The research also identified a Boston meeting of hundreds of biotech employees in early March as a “superspreading event” that sent the virus around the country.

[Pictured: Suffolk County]

 

Michigan

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 66,466 cases, 6,039 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Branch County: 1,030 cases (2.36% of county population), 25 deaths
--- #2. Jackson County: 2,054 cases (1.29% of county population), 52 deaths
--- #3. Wayne County: 21,828 cases (1.24% of county population), 2,677 deaths

Wayne County, where the city of Detroit is located, has accounted for more than a third of the state’s confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly half of its deaths as of June 11. More than a third of Detroit’s residents live in poverty, and more than three-quarters are Black, factors making its residents particularly vulnerable to falling seriously ill with the virus.

[Pictured: Wayne County]

 

Minnesota

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 30,913 cases, 1,344 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Nobles County: 1,620 cases (7.42% of county population), 6 deaths
--- #2. Mower County: 661 cases (1.67% of county population), 2 deaths
--- #3. Todd County: 375 cases (1.53% of county population), 2 deaths

The high infection rate in Nobles County was linked to the JBS USA pork plant. An outbreak among plant workers accounted for some 40% of the county’s COVID-19 cases. The largest pork processor in Minnesota is back to operating at nearly full capacity after closing for more than two weeks in April and May, when nearly half of its 2,000 workers tested positive for COVID-19 and at least three of its employees died.

[Pictured: Nobles County]

 

Mississippi

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 20,152 cases, 915 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Neshoba County: 895 cases (3.05% of county population), 54 deaths
--- #2. Holmes County: 474 cases (2.62% of county population), 34 deaths
--- #3. Scott County: 692 cases (2.44% of county population), 12 deaths

New coronavirus cases have spiked in Neshoba County, located in the central part of the state northeast of Jackson. The U.S. Census Bureau recently estimated that about one in every 40 county residents had tested positive. Most of the cases have occurred among the county’s Native American community. Neshoba is home to members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

[Pictured: Neshoba County]

 

Missouri

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 16,930 cases, 903 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Sullivan County: 78 cases (1.23% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #2. Saline County: 272 cases (1.18% of county population), 4 deaths
--- #3. Buchanan County: 791 cases (0.89% of county population), 2 deaths

One outbreak of coronavirus in rural Saline County occurred at the Cargill meat processing plant in Marshall that employs more than 600 people. Also, operations were suspended temporarily at Conagra Brands’ frozen meals facility in Marshall, where employees tested positive as well. About 700 people work at the Conagra plant.

[Pictured: Saline County]

Montana

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 614 cases, 19 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Toole County: 29 cases (0.58% of county population), 6 deaths
--- #2. Golden Valley County: 3 cases (0.41% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #3. Big Horn County: 47 cases (0.35% of county population), 2 deaths

Rural Toole County is in northern Montana along the Canadian border, with fewer than 5,000 residents, and became a coronavirus hotspot with an outbreak at an assisted living facility. Officials have worried that the coronavirus could spread to the county’s Crossroads Correctional Center prison, which houses more than 700 inmates.

[Pictured: Toole County]

 

Nebraska

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 17,031 cases, 236 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Dakota County: 1,742 cases (8.57% of county population), 32 deaths
--- #2. Colfax County: 651 cases (6.05% of county population), 4 deaths
--- #3. Saline County: 523 cases (3.66% of county population), 2 deaths

Coronavirus cases in northeast Nebraska’s Dakota County have largely been found at the Tyson Fresh Meats Dakota City plant. Nearly 800 active coronavirus cases were found at the plant, about 17.5% of its 4,500 workers, as of June 1. Seven of the nation’s counties with the highest coronavirus rates have large meatpacking plants.

[Pictured: Dakota County]

 

Nevada

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 11,673 cases, 467 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Humboldt County: 78 cases (0.46% of county population), 4 deaths
--- #2. Washoe County: 2,016 cases (0.45% of county population), 71 deaths
--- #3. Clark County: 9,157 cases (0.43% of county population), 380 deaths

Humboldt County, in rural northwestern Nevada, has just 17,000 residents. According to Mayor Richard Stone of Winnemucca, the county seat and only incorporated city, its coronavirus outbreak was linked to a large family gathering attended by people from Las Vegas who apparently were infected. Stone believes that three-quarters of the county’s confirmed cases can be traced to that gathering.

[Pictured: Humboldt County]

 

New Hampshire

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 5,364 cases, 326 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Hillsborough County: 2,981 cases (0.73% of county population), 209 deaths
--- #2. Rockingham County: 1,418 cases (0.46% of county population), 81 deaths
--- #3. Merrimack County: 392 cases (0.26% of county population), 18 deaths

Hillsborough County is the state’s most-populous county and home to its two largest cities, Manchester and Nashua. A COVID-19 outbreak was reported in May at the Hillsborough County Nursing Home, one of the state’s largest, with 300 beds.

[Pictured: Hillsborough County]

 

New Jersey

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 167,426 cases, 12,727 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Passaic County: 16,664 cases (3.31% of county population), 1,006 deaths
--- #2. Union County: 16,320 cases (2.95% of county population), 1,130 deaths
--- #3. Hudson County: 18,744 cases (2.80% of county population), 1,255 deaths

In New Jersey’s Passaic County, densely-populated Paterson has been hit hard by the pandemic. The city’s COVID-19 death rate is twice as high as the state’s overall death rate, as of May 31. The city is mainly Hispanic and Black, communities disproportionately struck by the virus, and roughly a quarter of Paterson residents live in poverty,

[Pictured: Passaic County]

New Mexico

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 9,933 cases, 447 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. McKinley County: 2,949 cases (4.05% of county population), 151 deaths
--- #2. San Juan County: 2,129 cases (1.67% of county population), 151 deaths
--- #3. Otero County: 700 cases (1.06% of county population), 4 deaths

McKinley County in western New Mexico includes part of the Navajo Indian Reservation, which also stretches into Arizona and Utah. The Navajo Nation has been ravaged by the pandemic, reporting the highest per capita infection rate in the United States. The 27,000-square-mile reservation has only a dozen health care facilities, and many residents have preexisting medical conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to falling seriously ill to the virus.

[Pictured: McKinley County]

 

New York

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 389,349 cases, 30,683 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Rockland County: 13,460 cases (4.16% of county population), 468 deaths
--- #2. Westchester County: 34,357 cases (3.55% of county population), 1,537 deaths
--- #3. Nassau County: 41,290 cases (3.04% of county population), 2,676 deaths

To the north of New York City, Rockland County is ethnically diverse, with a large population of Orthodox and Hasidic Jews. The close-knit communities were criticized for violating social distancing protocols at funerals and group prayers. Some community members said the high numbers of reported cases were due to extensive and early testing.

[Pictured: Rockland County]

 

North Carolina

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 46,105 cases, 1,185 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Duplin County: 1,228 cases (2.08% of county population), 20 deaths
--- #2. Wayne County: 1,535 cases (1.24% of county population), 20 deaths
--- #3. Sampson County: 783 cases (1.23% of county population), 4 deaths

Duplin County, in eastern North Carolina, has had outbreaks in its Butterball Turkey production plant, where at least one worker died, and at its Villari Foods pork plant. Butterball employees told local media that the factory did not allow for social distancing and that workers were penalized for not going to work under unsafe conditions. Butterball said social distancing was enforced where possible and that workers were provided with protective gear. It said it did not penalize workers who were told to stay home due to COVID-19.

[Pictured: Duplin County]

 

North Dakota

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 3,127 cases, 77 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Cass County: 2,067 cases (1.19% of county population), 62 deaths
--- #2. Grand Forks County: 346 cases (0.49% of county population), 4 deaths
--- #3. Slope County: 3 cases (0.43% of county population), 0 deaths

North Dakota’s coronavirus hotspot has been Cass County, which includes metropolitan Fargo, its most-populated city. The county accounted for more than two-thirds of the active COVID-19 cases as of May 16, according to Jeremy Turley of the Grand Forks Herald. Turley added that statewide, as of May 19, nearly 400 COVID-19 deaths in North Dakota have occurred in long-term care facilities, and almost three-quarters of those were in Fargo.

[Pictured: Cass County]

 

Ohio

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 42,010 cases, 2,597 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Marion County: 2,712 cases (4.15% of county population), 33 deaths
--- #2. Pickaway County: 2,125 cases (3.70% of county population), 40 deaths
--- #3. Columbiana County: 921 cases (0.89% of county population), 57 deaths

In April, the coronavirus broke out at the Marion Correctional Institution, where more than 80% of the 2,500 inmates tested positive, as did more than 160 corrections officers and staff. At least four inmates there died as of April 24. More inmates tested positive in Ohio than in any other state, largely because the state was conducting mass testing of inmates, of which there are some 49,000 statewide. But at the end of April, the state changed its policy to test only inmates with COVID-19 symptoms.

[Pictured: Marion County]

Oklahoma

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 8,645 cases, 363 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Texas County: 975 cases (4.62% of county population), 6 deaths
--- #2. Greer County: 66 cases (1.11% of county population), 7 deaths
--- #3. Choctaw County: 105 cases (0.71% of county population), 1 death

U.S. Air and Army National Guard units were sent to help with testing and contact tracing in Oklahoma’s panhandle’s Texas County, which became a coronavirus hot spot. An outbreak of more than 440 cases was reported on May 21 at a local pork processing plant where workers, many of them immigrants, complained of crowded conditions, a lack of adequate cleaning, and the threat of losing their job if they called in sick. The plant said it has told workers who are sick to stay home and has implemented preventive measures and sanitization protocols to fight the spread of the virus.

[Pictured: Texas County]

 

Oregon

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 6,105 cases, 182 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Union County: 240 cases (0.92% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #2. Lincoln County: 223 cases (0.47% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #3. Hood River County: 83 cases (0.36% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #3. Marion County: 1,201 cases (0.36% of county population), 0 deaths

Marion County’s COVID-19 infection rate was three times the state average as of May 17. The county has a significant number of agricultural workers, typically Latino and many non-English speaking, whom advocates say stayed at their jobs as essential workers and did not get adequate outreach about how to stay safe. Marion County is also home to four state prisons and the Oregon State Hospital psychiatric facility.

[Pictured: Lincoln County]

 

Pennsylvania

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 84,077 cases, 6,337 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Philadelphia County: 24,591 cases (1.56% of county population), 1,518 deaths
--- #2. Delaware County: 6,991 cases (1.24% of county population), 674 deaths
--- #3. Lehigh County: 3,973 cases (1.10% of county population), 271 deaths

Hard-hit Philadelphia and neighboring counties were the last to begin reopening after the worst of the pandemic, although Philadelphia kept stricter limits on the size of gatherings allowed. One in five Philadelphia residents is Black, and the rate of COVID-19 infection and deaths has been high among communities of color throughout the country.

[Pictured: Philadelphia County]

 

Rhode Island

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 16,164 cases, 865 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Providence County: 12,363 cases (1.95% of county population), 637 deaths
--- #2. Kent County: 1,128 cases (0.69% of county population), 82 deaths
--- #3. Bristol County: 240 cases (0.49% of county population), 13 deaths

Several densely-populated cities within Providence County have shown high numbers of cases for several weeks, including Providence, North Providence, East Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls. The mayor of East Providence attributed a recent jump to increased testing at nursing homes and long-term care facilities. As many as 44 COVID-19-related deaths took place at the Orchard View Manor nursing home in East Providence, and as many as 170 deaths occurred at the Berkshire Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence.

[Pictured: Providence County]

 

South Carolina

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 19,990 cases, 607 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Lee County: 238 cases (1.35% of county population), 19 deaths
--- #2. Fairfield County: 232 cases (1.02% of county population), 20 deaths
--- #3. Clarendon County: 342 cases (1.01% of county population), 41 deaths

In Lee County, more than a quarter of its 17,000 residents live in poverty, and nearly two-thirds are Black, a population that has been disproportionately hit by the pandemic. The county is home to the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, where an employee died of COVID-19 in April. As of May 13, at least three federal lawsuits have been filed against the state Department of Corrections claiming too little has been done to protect inmates from the virus in South Carolina’s prisons and jails.

[Pictured: Lee County]

South Dakota

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 5,966 cases, 77 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Buffalo County: 54 cases (2.63% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #2. Beadle County: 452 cases (2.46% of county population), 6 deaths
--- #3. Jerauld County: 40 cases (1.97% of county population), 1 death

A JackLink's beef jerky plant in Alpena, in Jerauld County, was identified as a coronavirus hotspot and the site of the county’s sole COVID-19 death. The plant followed up with implementing flexible attendance, testing employees, installing physical barriers, and providing personal protective equipment to employees.

[Pictured: Beadle County]

 

Tennessee

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 31,623 cases, 487 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Trousdale County: 1,460 cases (15.25% of county population), 4 deaths
--- #2. Lake County: 689 cases (9.15% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #3. Bledsoe County: 614 cases (4.20% of county population), 1 death

The high rate of cases in Trousdale County was linked to an outbreak at a prison, the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center. Nearly all the cases reported in the county, which has a population of about 9,500 people, were at the privately-run prison. More than half the inmates tested positive, as did about 50 of its staff.

[Pictured: Trousdale County]

 

Texas

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 95,973 cases, 2,057 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Moore County: 872 cases (4.00% of county population), 14 deaths
--- #2. Jones County: 630 cases (3.17% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #3. Walker County: 1,873 cases (2.62% of county population), 27 deaths

The outbreak in remote Moore County, which is in the Texas Panhandle north of Amarillo, was tied to a JBS beef processing plant, which has been linked to more than 300 people who tested positive for coronavirus. The company initially turned down the state’s offer to test all of its roughly 3,000 plant employees, most of them immigrants.

[Pictured: Moore County]

 

Utah

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 15,077 cases, 145 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. San Juan County: 365 cases (2.39% of county population), 6 deaths
--- #2. Wasatch County: 356 cases (1.17% of county population), 2 deaths
--- #3. Summit County: 448 cases (1.11% of county population), 0 deaths

San Juan County includes Utah’s section of the Navajo Indian Reservation, which has been an epicenter of the pandemic in the United States. About a third of residents of the Navajo Nation do not have electricity or running water, making shelter-in-place difficult, and many Navajos suffer from health conditions that make them vulnerable to falling seriously ill with COVID-19. On May 4, the state’s Department of Health announced a push to conduct thousands of tests in the Navajo Nation.

[Pictured: San Juan County]

 

Vermont

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 1,131 cases, 55 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Chittenden County: 573 cases (0.35% of county population), 39 deaths
--- #2. Franklin County: 102 cases (0.21% of county population), 5 deaths
--- #3. Windham County: 85 cases (0.20% of county population), 3 deaths

A recent outbreak of COVID-19 cases appeared in the densely-populated city of Winooski in Chittenden County. Officials say Winooski has one of the state’s most-diverse populations, with immigrants from Africa and Asia. Dozens of people, including 24 children, were infected in the outbreak, which health commissioner Mark Levine said took place among a group of family and friends.

[Pictured: Chittenden County]

Virginia

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 55,331 cases, 1,570 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Richmond County: 294 cases (3.31% of county population), 6 deaths
--- #2. Manassas city: 1,317 cases (3.18% of county population), 14 deaths
--- #3. Buckingham County: 534 cases (3.14% of county population), 3 deaths

Sparsely-populated Richmond County is located on Virginia’s Northern Neck, a peninsula in the Chesapeake Bay. Its clusters of COVID-19 cases have turned up in a retirement community and a correctional facility.

[Pictured: Richmond County]

 

Washington

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 27,949 cases, 1,234 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Yakima County: 5,830 cases (2.34% of county population), 124 deaths
--- #2. Franklin County: 1,144 cases (1.26% of county population), 26 deaths
--- #3. Benton County: 1,389 cases (0.72% of county population), 74 deaths

Health district spokeswoman Lilian Bravo called Yakima County a hotspot for COVID-19 and warned that the trend was worsening as of June 8. On June 10, more than half of the state’s new cases were in Yakima County, which accounts for about 3% of the state’s population. Much of Yakima County is taken up by the Yakama Indian Reservation, home to about 31,000 people, about a third of whom live in poverty. The Yakama Nation just got more than $58 million from the federal government to help with the coronavirus outbreak.

[Pictured: Yakima County]

 

West Virginia

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 2,341 cases, 88 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Jackson County: 141 cases (0.49% of county population), 18 deaths
--- #2. Randolph County: 141 cases (0.49% of county population), 0 deaths
--- #3. Jefferson County: 211 cases (0.38% of county population), 4 deaths

An April outbreak of COVID-19 at the Eldercare Nursing and Rehabilitation long-term care facility in Jackson County caused 15 deaths as of May 29. More recently, according to Gov. Jim Justice, two people at a livestock auction that attracted some 700 people in Jackson County contracted the virus. Livestock auctions have been considered an essential service.

[Pictured: Jackson County]

 

Wisconsin

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 23,328 cases, 704 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Racine County: 2,033 cases (1.04% of county population), 55 deaths
--- #2. Milwaukee County: 9,678 cases (1.01% of county population), 352 deaths
--- #3. Brown County: 2,492 cases (0.96% of county population), 39 deaths

Racine County, the state’s coronavirus hotspot, shows the disproportionate toll the pandemic has had on communities of color. Some 85% of the coronavirus cases in the city of Racine, the county seat, are people of color, and local officials note that the city has a large working class of people employed in health care, nursing homes, public transit, and grocery stores who are risking exposure to the virus.

[Pictured: Racine County]

 

Wyoming

- Cumulative state COVID-19 statistics as of June 16: 1,089 cases, 18 deaths
- Counties with the highest infection rates:
--- #1. Fremont County: 310 cases (0.77% of county population), 9 deaths
--- #2. Washakie County: 38 cases (0.47% of county population), 3 deaths
--- #3. Teton County: 105 cases (0.46% of county population), 1 death

Most of the coronavirus deaths in Wyoming have been among members of the Northern Arapaho tribe, who live with the Eastern Shoshone on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Fremont County. One health official said tribal members are particularly vulnerable to falling seriously ill with the virus, due to crowded housing on the reservation. While other locations in Wyoming have been loosening restrictions, the Wind River tribes have been extending stay-at-home orders and curfews to help stem the viral spread.

[Pictured: Fremont County]

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