The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 each day peaked in January of 2021 and then decreased over the next several months as several vaccines became publicly available. The number of new cases began rising again in July.
New deaths and confirmed cases of COVID-19 by day
Early in 2020, New York had the largest number of cumulative cases. But by summer, spread of the disease slowed there while transmission increased in other states. Over the winter, the number of cases accelerated in almost every state. Toggle the map below between cumulative totals and data from the last seven days to get a picture of where the virus is spreading.
Each state has experienced surges of new cases at different points over the course of the pandemic. See how each state is trending over the past seven days compared to the preceding week:
Each state has declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency, and many implemented restrictions on travel, business and public gatherings. Most states began easing or lifting those restrictions in the summer, despite the fact that case trends were on the rise in many places. When cases began increasing more quickly again in the winter, some states are re-implementing previous measures.
The U.S. became the epicenter of the global pandemic in the spring of 2020, when case totals eclipsed those of other countries experiencing large outbreaks, and has continued to see more new cases per day than almost any other nation.
How the US coronavirus case trajectory compares to other nations
View novel coronavirus data by state
US coronavirus cases by state
Contributing: Yoonserk Pyun, Matt Wynn, Coral Murphy-Marcos, Devon Link and Petruce Jean-Charles, USA TODAY
A note on data:
It’s important to understand that the numbers reported by agencies and officials don’t paint a complete picture of the pandemic. Many people who have COVID-19 — and no one knows how many — are not being counted by medical authorities. Because COVID-19 can have mild symptoms or even none at all, many people with the disease are unaware they have it. Others may have symptoms, but be unable to access testing near them. Finally, local governments and other organizations count and update case data differently, meaning different sources of information may show different numbers of cases.
Sometimes, data sources or formats change unexpectedly, leading to temporary inaccuracies in county-level data. We fix these as soon as possible. However, if you see a problem let us know at [email protected].
Track the spread of the deadly virus with the maps and charts below, which will update daily with the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other sources compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The number of cases has increased dramatically after tracking of the virus began in late January 2020.
Total confirmed cases across the globe
The U.S. has seen outbreaks of the disease across every state.
Map of coronavirus cases and deaths in the US
The U.S. has seen the largest number of COVID-19 cases of any nation, but other nations have seen more rapid spread of the disease in recent weeks.
Countries with the most confirmed cases of COVID-19
Total cases, deaths, and recoveries by country
Search through each country below:
Contributing: Javier Zarracina, Shawn Sullivan, George Petras, USA TODAY
More graphics about coronavirus
The exponential nature of the growth of viruses like coronavirus means that the trajectory, or curve, of the number of people who have COVID-19 is even more important than the total number when trying to understand the potential risks of the outbreak. States that have few reports of people with the virus but are following the curve of places like New York and Washington could soon find themselves in a similarly dire situation without strong preventative measures.
An analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, shows that many states, such as New Jersey, Michigan, and Louisiana, are on a similar trajectory to New York already, with others following closely behind. These numbers are based on the latest number of confirmed people with COVID-19, which is likely far lower than the actual number of cases due to limited testing across the U.S.
Growth in number of people confirmed to have novel coronavirus by state
Experts warn that while testing capacity has been inadequate everywhere, the number of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in states outside of New York and Washington may be lower in part due to even less testing early on in the outbreak. “Every single place that testing capacity ramps up, we’re going to expect these numbers to go up substantially. Whether it’s quite as steep as New York we won’t know, but we expect that those numbers are going to go up substantially,” said Dr. Katharine Bar, a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Taking precautions like closing schools, isolating all cases of illness, and not gathering in groups could help slow the rise in other states, before they reach the levels seen in New York. “I don’t think it’ll necessarily mean there won’t be an exponential rise, but it’ll be a slower exponential rise, and the peak won’t be as high” said Dr. Ira Longini, a professor & Co-director of the Center for Statistics and Quantitative Infectious Diseases at the Emerging Pathogens Institute of the University of Florida. “Doing all these things saves lives, and it’s helpful. I don’t think we can stop the exponential rise though, just slow it down some.”
Will the U.S. end up like Italy? America’s ‘curve’ may be at its most dangerous point
Italy has seen the number of patients sick with COVID-19 rise to levels beyond the capacity of the healthcare system and doctors have had to make difficult decisions about who gets priority in care and access to intensive care beds. The U.S. as a whole is on a similar trajectory to Italy and other nations that have seen the largest outbreaks.
How the US coronavirus case trajectory compares to other nations
As the virus continues to spread across the U.S. and more patients receive tests, the number of people confirmed to have the virus each day across the country continues to grow.
People reported to have contracted novel coronavirus in the US, by day
Keep track of the latest number of cases by state on this page as we update the charts with new data daily.
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