Top 10 States For New Cases, Positive Test Percentages & New Deaths
- Below are the top hotspots for new cases, positive test rates and new deaths
Observations:
- Some of the States that have aggressively reopened their economies have had significant increases in the number of new cases and positive test percentages. CA, NY and IL have been under strict lockdowns and are reopening slowly, but are still in the top 10 for the highest number of cases (with CA having the highest 7 day average number of new cases). While increasing numbers of cases is a warning of potential increases in hospitalizations and deaths, we believe that the positive test rate is a better indicator of potential future increases in hospitalizations and deaths.
- All 10 of the States with the highest positive test percentages are in excess of the national average of 4.5%, with SC and AL more than 2x the national average and AZ more than 3x the national average. The high (and in most cases) increasing positive test percentages among these States indicate that the spread of the virus is growing, which is indicative of potential increases in hospitalizations and deaths.
- Ultimately, the number of deaths may be the most important metric for how well a State is managing the pandemic. Notably, NJ, CA, IL, MA and NY are in the top 6 highest 7 day average of new deaths even though these States have been subject to strict lockdowns and are opening slowly. TX and FL, the second and third most populated States and have reopened aggressively, have less deaths than NY, CA, IL, MA and NJ. Also, the per capita deaths of TX, FL, GA and OH are all well below the national average of 357 per million, while per capita deaths in NY, NJ, MA and IL are all well above the national average.