Tracking how COVID-19 spread in every state
Tracking how COVID-19 spread in every state
The coronavirus tends to spread the same way—as a pathogen transmitted from person-to-person, it is a scientific and medical phenomenon that should be impervious to geography—right?
Yes and no. While the mode of transmission remains the same when it comes down to individual humans, the way this has played out across the United States has been different, depending on the culture, geography, and demographics of each state.
One of the most important factors in the transmission rates of COVID-19 has been the practice of mandated social distancing rules, and of populations' willingness to abide by them. In states that put lockdowns in place early, the virus showed a decisive decline. Among states that have started to reopen, some are seeing significant upticks in cases, particularly among residents in Southern and Western states who may be more averse to wearing a government-mandated mask.
Spring break also played a role in how COVID-19 spread in various states. Some states with large populations of college students, like Iowa, saw numbers increase as students left and returned from spring break. Others that are popular spring break destinations, like Florida, reported large numbers of cases after spring breakers from states that already had virus cases flooded its beaches to mingle.
Still other states have cultures and communities that made themselves uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 spread. Among these, in particular, were states with Native American reservations, where intergenerational households are more common than they are in the rest of the United States, and younger household members who may have been asymptomatic passed the virus on to older members.
To examine how COVID-19 has spread in every state, Stacker used current and historical data from the "COVID Tracking Project," a volunteer effort based at The Atlantic, which compiles and standardizes daily testing and outcomes data from state health departments. Stacker visualized how cases and deaths in every state have progressed for three months since the beginning of March when most states began reporting COVID-19 data. Supporting data pulled from the report includes insights on when each state reported its first cases and deaths; when each state reached 1,000 cases and deaths, if applicable; and the weeks with the highest new case and death rate so far for each state.
Editor's note: Betsy Ladyzhets, a research associate at Stacker who worked on this story, volunteers for the COVID-19 Tracking Project.
Alabama
- First COVID-19 records: March 13 (first case), March 26 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 1 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 11 to June 17 (cases), May 7 to May 13 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 32,064
- Total death toll as of June 24: 891
Alabama was one of the first states to reopen after a near-total lockdown in all 50 states in March. Alabama began reopening in early May, and a month later had triple the reported daily cases it did a day after emerging from lockdown.
Alaska
- First COVID-19 records: March 13 (first case), March 25 (first death)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 11 to June 17 (cases), April 2 to April 8 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 792
- Total death toll as of June 24: 12
Alaska still has one of the lowest COVID-19 cases per capita in the country, but all is not entirely well in the country’s northernmost state. Alaska has the second-highest transmission rate in the country, which has been rising ever since the state began easing restrictions on movement.
Arizona
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 21 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 30 (cases), June 5 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), June 18 to June 24 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 59,974
- Total death toll as of June 24: 1,463
Arizona is the “new national hotspot” for COVID-19, according to some officials, and an end of lockdown is to blame, according to health officials. Some blame the lack of guidance on how residents could keep themselves safe after the state lifted its lockdown just after Memorial Day.
Arkansas
- First COVID-19 records: March 12 (first case), March 25 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 8 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), June 18 to June 24 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 17,375
- Total death toll as of June 24: 240
Case numbers in Arkansas have not been helped by some of the state’s policies, according to some health experts. Prison workers, for one, were encouraged to come to work if they had tested positive for COVID-19 but weren’t exhibiting symptoms due to what the state called a critical shortage of workers. The state’s prisons have been devastated by the virus.
California
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 12 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 20 (cases), April 18 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 23 to April 29 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 190,222
- Total death toll as of June 24: 5,632
The virus spread quickly throughout California in March, but slowed once the state put restrictions in place. With many businesses reopening, the state is concerned by a specific issue among Californians—many in the state are revolting against wearing a mask, even as numbers begin to climb again, which many health officials say will thwart efforts to keep transmission rates low.
Colorado
- First COVID-19 records: March 6 (first case), March 14 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 26 (cases), May 13 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 23 to April 29 (cases), April 23 to April 29 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 30,893
- Total death toll as of June 24: 1,665
Tourism is a major industry for Colorado, and as lockdown begins to ease and a slow spike in cases is being detected in the state, the tourism industry is trying to reduce the number of tourists who might spread the virus. The tourism board is emphasizing how many of its attractions are nature-oriented and in the outdoors, which, experts agree, lowers the risk of transmission.
Connecticut
- First COVID-19 records: March 8 (first case), March 19 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 26 (cases), April 17 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 16 to April 22 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 45,913
- Total death toll as of June 24: 4,287
Connecticut has the ignominious distinction of having held a super-spreader event for COVID-19 early on. An upscale party in the suburb of Westport for 50 people in March included guests who later traveled to other parts of the country and the world, unknowingly taking the virus with them as they went.
Delaware
- First COVID-19 records: March 11 (first case), March 26 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 9 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 23 to April 29 (cases), May 14 to May 20 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 10,889
- Total death toll as of June 24: 505
Like other parts of the country, COVID-19’s spread disproportionately harmed African Americans in this state. But the spread was concentrated geographically in the southern half of the state, due in part to the fact that it contains more elderly residents in nursing homes, which have been vectors for the lethal spread of the virus.
Florida
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 11 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 23 (cases), April 24 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 30 to May 6 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 109,014
- Total death toll as of June 24: 3,377
While much of the country was hunkering down in mid-March, Florida made the decision not to close its beaches to the scads of spring breakers who routinely descend on the state each March. That decision proved costly. Beach dance parties and crowded bars lured people from around the state, and from around the country and the world who brought the virus with them, gave it to others at close proximity, and then took it with them when they returned home.
Georgia
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 13 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 24 (cases), April 28 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 69,381
- Total death toll as of June 24: 2,698
COVID-19 has hit nursing homes in Georgia especially hard. Nursing home cases are responsible for up to 40% of the cases in some counties, and nursing home deaths have been responsible for almost half the deaths in the state.
Hawaii
- First COVID-19 records: March 7 (first case), April 1 (first death)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 2 to April 8 (cases), April 23 to April 29 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 819
- Total death toll as of June 24: 17
Hawaii imposed a 14-day lockdown on anyone traveling to the state in March, which health experts say was pivotal to curbing the spread of the virus. But the blow to the tourism-dependent economy has been severe, with many residents fearing the effects of continued unemployment as much as they do COVID-19 itself.
Idaho
- First COVID-19 records: March 14 (first case), March 27 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 4 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 9 to April 15 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 4,402
- Total death toll as of June 24: 89
Idaho has recently entered the final phase of its reopening, but COVID-19 case numbers are still climbing. The state has said that community spread is still occurring in half of its counties, which means that not all residents are following appropriate social distancing practices.
Illinois
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 17 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 22 (cases), April 16 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 30 to May 6 (cases), May 7 to May 13 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 139,540
- Total death toll as of June 24: 6,974
In early May, Illinois saw a spate of protests against stay-at-home orders. Residents who had been under lockdown for weeks gathered to insist the governor reopen the state, and the following week saw the largest increase in deaths the state has on record.
Indiana
- First COVID-19 records: March 6 (first case), March 16 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 28 (cases), April 29 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 23 to April 29 (cases), April 23 to April 29 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 43,140
- Total death toll as of June 24: 2,578
Many COVID-19 hot-spots are urban, but the opposite was true in Indiana this spring. A basketball game in a rural part of the state became a super-spreader event after a high school championship game went ahead as scheduled.
Iowa
- First COVID-19 records: March 9 (first case), March 25 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 7 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 30 to May 6 (cases), May 21 to May 27 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 26,705
- Total death toll as of June 24: 692
Spring break played a big part of the early COVID-19 spread in Iowa. The state is home to many universities, including its flagship University of Iowa in Iowa City, and the influx and outflux of many students during the first two weeks of March for spring break was a key part of the virus' spread.
Kansas
- First COVID-19 records: March 8 (first case), March 14 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 8 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 30 to May 6 (cases), April 9 to April 15 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 12,970
- Total death toll as of June 24: 261
One business not in full compliance with the state’s stay-at-home orders has been responsible for spreading COVID-19 rapidly. A paper goods company in the state did not practice social distancing and was responsible for hundreds of cases.
Kentucky
- First COVID-19 records: March 7 (first case), March 16 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 7 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 4 to June 10 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 14,363
- Total death toll as of June 24: 538
A recent spike in infections in Kentucky is not due to protests against police brutality that have emerged recently in the state, state officials say. Those protests have been held outdoors with many attendees wearing masks, showing that both are key for reducing the spread of the virus.
Louisiana
- First COVID-19 records: March 9 (first case), March 15 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 23 (cases), April 14 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 2 to April 8 (cases), April 9 to April 15 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 52,477
- Total death toll as of June 24: 3,152
At one point, confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana grew at one of the fastest rates in the world. This dire transmission rate gave the state cover to impose dramatic lockdown measures, and have citizens largely comply with them, which has contributed to declining caseloads.
Maine
- First COVID-19 records: March 12 (first case), March 27 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 26 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: May 21 to May 27 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 3,017
- Total death toll as of June 24: 103
Maine’s strict social distancing measures have helped curb the spread of the virus. The governor has mandated masks in public spaces, and requires anyone entering the state to show a negative COVID-19 test.
Maryland
- First COVID-19 records: March 6 (first case), March 18 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 29 (cases), April 26 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: May 14 to May 20 (cases), April 23 to April 29 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 65,337
- Total death toll as of June 24: 3,108
The governor of Maryland came under fire from the Trump administration at the peak of its COVID-19 epidemic thus far. The reason was that they got tests from South Korea, which had them in supply exactly when Maryland needed them after the federal government did not help.
Massachusetts
- First COVID-19 records: March 12 (first case), March 18 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 24 (cases), April 12 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 23 to April 29 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 107,611
- Total death toll as of June 24: 7,938
One week in early March could have contained the virus in Massachusetts but failed to, experts say. The state’s top officials were overly confident in their state’s medical systems and downplayed the threat of the virus, allowing it to spread unchecked before serious preventive measures were taken.
Michigan
- First COVID-19 records: March 1 (first case), March 19 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 14 (cases), April 9 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 2 to April 8 (cases), April 9 to April 15 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 68,555
- Total death toll as of June 24: 6,114
The governor of Michigan implemented aggressive lockdown measures early on in the pandemic that many medical experts say saved lives. Michigan had the greatest drop in mobility during the early days of COVID-19, which contributed significantly to its ability to curb the spread of the virus.
Minnesota
- First COVID-19 records: March 7 (first case), March 21 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 7 (cases), May 29 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: May 21 to May 27 (cases), June 4 to June 10 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 33,763
- Total death toll as of June 24: 1,432
Early on, a pork plant in Minnesota was a real hotbed of virus activity. The plant was responsible for the vast majority of cases in its county in April, and ended up voluntarily closing to reduce further harm.
Mississippi
- First COVID-19 records: March 12 (first case), March 20 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 1 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 30 to May 6 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 23,424
- Total death toll as of June 24: 1,011
The refusal of many in the state of Mississippi to wear masks is contributing to a recent spike in cases, health experts say. A health department official said Mississippians are independent people, and if only 60%–80% of the population would wear masks, the virus could be kept at bay.
Missouri
- First COVID-19 records: March 8 (first case), March 19 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 30 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), May 7 to May 13 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 18,868
- Total death toll as of June 24: 975
After Missouri eased restrictions, two hairstylists could have been partly responsible for seeding a new round of cases. The stylists saw 140 clients, but because the stylists and their clients wore masks and the chairs were set up for social distancing, no new cases were reported.
Montana
- First COVID-19 records: March 12 (first case), March 28 (first death)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: March 26 to April 1 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 766
- Total death toll as of June 24: 21
Montana is a remote state, already used to things being distant. But the state quickly canceled the few events in March that would have drawn a crowd, including the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Butte, and thus curbed what might have been a super-spreader event.
Nebraska
- First COVID-19 records: March 7 (first case), March 28 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 17 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 30 to May 6 (cases), June 11 to June 17 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 18,092
- Total death toll as of June 24: 256
A Nebraska hospital famous for treating patients with lethal viruses aimed to play a pivotal role in stopping COVID-19 early on in the pandemic. But the biocontainment unit’s expertise quickly led physicians to realize it was too late to contain the pandemic, and all they could do was play their role in treating those who arrived at their doors.
Nevada
- First COVID-19 records: March 5 (first case), March 16 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 30 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 9 to April 15 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 14,362
- Total death toll as of June 24: 494
Nevada’s Native American reservations have been hit harder than other places in the state. One reservation had an infection rate of 2%—higher than anywhere else in the state, which health officials attribute to the persistence of rituals like sweat lodges and birthday celebrations on some reservations.
New Hampshire
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 24 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 14 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 30 to May 6 (cases), May 7 to May 13 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 5,571
- Total death toll as of June 24: 343
One New Hampshire high school took a novel approach to reducing spread. At its graduation ceremony, seniors were allowed to take up to four guests to the top of a nearby mountain via a chairlift for photographs and their diploma.
New Jersey
- First COVID-19 records: March 5 (first case), March 11 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 21 (cases), April 6 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 2 to April 8 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 169,892
- Total death toll as of June 24: 12,995
Although most of the states in the country didn't record their first cases until early spring, New Jersey may have had cases as early as January. One reason? Its proximity to New York, where tourists were transmitting the virus.
New Mexico
- First COVID-19 records: March 11 (first case), March 25 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 10 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 30 to May 6 (cases), May 14 to May 20 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 10,838
- Total death toll as of June 24: 476
COVID-19 spread rapidly through New Mexico’s youth. This particularly concerned officials with respect to the Navajo Nation reservations, where younger people carried the specific risk of passing the virus to older parents.
New York
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 15 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 17 (cases), March 30 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 2 to April 8 (cases), April 9 to April 15 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 389,666
- Total death toll as of June 24: 24,782
New York City was arguably the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in America for weeks at a time this spring. One reason was due to the vast amounts of travel coming into the state and especially the city, particularly from Europe, where the virus had already been circulating.
North Carolina
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 25 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 29 (cases), June 8 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), May 28 to June 3 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 56,174
- Total death toll as of June 24: 1,266
Nursing homes were particularly hard hit in North Carolina. In April, the state reported that 40% of its fatalities had occurred in nursing homes, which are known to be super-spreaders in already vulnerable populations.
North Dakota
- First COVID-19 records: March 12 (first case), March 28 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 29 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: May 14 to May 20 (cases), May 28 to June 3 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 3,362
- Total death toll as of June 24: 86
North Dakota closed its premier tourist attraction, a national park, to help curb the spread of the virus. This was a particularly notable move in an environment where many parks stayed open with restrictions, based on the idea that the virus would be less contagious outdoors.
Ohio
- First COVID-19 records: March 9 (first case), March 20 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 27 (cases), May 1 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 16 to April 22 (cases), April 23 to April 29 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 46,759
- Total death toll as of June 24: 2,755
Prisons have been particularly serious vectors for COVID-19 in Ohio. Two prisons in the state were even found at one point to be the top COVID-19 hot spots in the country, in part because inmates were forced to live and sleep in such close proximity.
Oklahoma
- First COVID-19 records: March 7 (first case), March 19 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 4 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 2 to April 8 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 11,510
- Total death toll as of June 24: 372
Oklahoma had eased many of its distancing and closure restrictions by June, and this has led to a spike in cases. State officials are attributing this to community spread, meaning the lack of social distancing practices popular early in the pandemic.
Oregon
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 18 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 5 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 9 to April 15 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 7,444
- Total death toll as of June 24: 195
Oregon’s spread has been influenced by a controversial idea by public health officials. One top state health official said that asymptomatic carriers were not a priority for the state, and the track and trace program the state has implemented reflects its concern primarily with people showing symptoms.
Pennsylvania
- First COVID-19 records: March 6 (first case), March 18 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 25 (cases), April 19 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 2 to April 8 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 83,191
- Total death toll as of June 24: 6,518
A single resident from New Jersey was responsible for 12 new cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania right after Memorial Day. The resident attended beach house parties over the holiday weekend that infected numerous individuals—a prime example of a super-spreader event.
Rhode Island
- First COVID-19 records: March 1 (first case), March 29 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 6 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 23 to April 29 (cases), April 30 to May 6 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 16,606
- Total death toll as of June 24: 912
One of Rhode Island’s top concerns in the early days of the pandemic was limiting the spread from people who had fled to Rhode Island from elsewhere. The governor had put in place a controversial policy that stopped people with New York plates to collect their contact information in order to curb the spread.
South Carolina
- First COVID-19 records: March 7 (first case), March 16 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 31 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), April 30 to May 6 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 27,897
- Total death toll as of June 24: 683
June's increased numbers in South Carolina were due to a trend that troubled medical experts. While earlier outbreaks were concentrated among the elderly, new cases are coming in from younger populations, who may be flouting social distancing rules and refusing to wear masks.
South Dakota
- First COVID-19 records: March 11 (first case), March 18 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 15 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: May 7 to May 13 (cases), April 30 to May 6 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 6,419
- Total death toll as of June 24: 84
Many experts have pointed to the close proximity of people in urban areas to explain why COVID-19 travels faster in those cities. However, the close family ties common in South Dakota accounted for more of the spread there, with intergenerational family visits posing a particular risk to older family members.
Tennessee
- First COVID-19 records: March 5 (first case), March 23 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 27 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), June 11 to June 17 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 37,235
- Total death toll as of June 24: 556
Many common causes have been attributed to COVID-19 spread in Tennessee, including lax social distancing and close conditions in prisons. Additionally, state officials have noticed that migrant communities of farm workers have generated hot spots in some rural parts of the state, prompting concern from health experts.
Texas
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 17 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 26 (cases), May 8 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), May 14 to May 20 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 125,921
- Total death toll as of June 24: 2,249
Texas has the highest rate of COVID-19 spread in the country. The state began aggressively reopening in early May, and doctors have warned that the reopening is happening too quickly, reporting a highest single-day total of new cases 14 days after reopening—the same time as the virus’ incubation period.
Utah
- First COVID-19 records: March 7 (first case), March 22 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 1 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: June 18 to June 24 (cases), June 11 to June 17 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 18,784
- Total death toll as of June 24: 163
Researchers looking at COVID-19 spread in Utah have noted the state was particularly poorly equipped to help its Hispanic population. A lack of proper outreach contributed to a situation where Hispanic infection totals were among the highest in the state and of a share disproportionate with the population at large.
Vermont
- First COVID-19 records: March 7 (first case), March 20 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: June 4 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 2 to April 8 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 1,184
- Total death toll as of June 24: 56
A March 10 University of Vermont basketball game was a super-spreader for the virus. At least 16 people in attendance were reported to have contracted the virus, and at least three died.
Virginia
- First COVID-19 records: March 8 (first case), March 15 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 30 (cases), May 16 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: May 21 to May 27 (cases), May 7 to May 13 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 59,514
- Total death toll as of June 24: 1,661
Chicken processing plants were responsible for significant COVID-19 spread in Virginia. The plants continued operating even after recording a high number of cases, contributing to many more cases that spread out from the plants into the communities and homes of its workers.
Washington
- First COVID-19 records: January 22 (first case), February 26 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 10 (cases), May 17 (deaths)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: March 26 to April 1 (cases), April 2 to April 8 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 29,386
- Total death toll as of June 24: 1,284
Washington was one of the earliest states to report COVID-19 cases in the United States. The state had a high number of cases that came from travelers entering from Asia, which is perhaps no surprise due to its relatively close proximity to the continent.
Washington, D.C.
- First COVID-19 records: March 8 (first case), March 20 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 6 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 30 to May 6 (cases), April 23 to April 29 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 10,128
- Total death toll as of June 24: 541
As Washington D.C. calculates and reports its numbers of new COVID-19 cases, it has used a metric that some are calling questionable. The state isn’t taking prisons, nursing homes, or shelters into consideration, saying that these populations are not mixing freely in the population, and therefore should not be considered when reopenings are considered.
West Virginia
- First COVID-19 records: March 18 (first case), March 30 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: April 25 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: May 21 to May 27 (cases), April 16 to April 22 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 2,629
- Total death toll as of June 24: 92
Church gatherings have been blamed for some of the virus spread in West Virginia. In recent weeks, the state has seen an outbreak of cases from those who have visited churches, which National Guardsmen have been called in to decontaminate.
Wisconsin
- First COVID-19 records: March 4 (first case), March 20 (first death)
- Date the state passed 1,000: March 29 (cases)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: May 21 to May 27 (cases), April 9 to April 15 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 25,763
- Total death toll as of June 24: 757
A virologist in Wisconsin has noted that stay-at-home measures helped curb the spread of different strains of the virus. He found that different strains were prevalent in different communities, and that the lack of cross-contamination showed that social distancing restrictions were vital in keeping the spread contained.
Wyoming
- First COVID-19 records: March 12 (first case), April 13 (first death)
- Weeks with the sharpest increases: April 23 to April 29 (cases), May 28 to June 3 (deaths)
- Total case count as of June 24: 1,279
- Total death toll as of June 24: 20
Some states have notable clusters or super-spreader events they can point to as causing outbreaks of the virus, but such was not the case in Wyoming. The state had a relatively even community spread, according to local health officials, who said the virus spread from too many sources to track in its most populous counties.
