One year in, COVID-19’s uneven spread across the US continues

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Excerpt:

Figure 2 provides a 12-month overview of COVID-19 rates for each of the four census regions. The winding path started with highest case rates in the Northeast, then moved to the South and West regions, which recorded especially high new case rates in July. In August and September, Midwest rates began to rise and dwarfed those of other regions in October and November. By December, the other three regions, especially the West, showed sharp gains and remained high in January, while Midwest rates fell from those of the previous two months.

In February 2021, new case rates in all four regions took a substantial downward fall from the holiday surge. Nonetheless, February new COVID-19 case rates for the Northeast, South, and West regions were still higher than rates in most months prior to November. The Midwest’s February rates were lower than in any month prior to September.

Author(s): William H. Frey

Publication Date: 5 March 2021

Publication Site: Brookings