Tennessee hasn’t exactly been off-the-radar amid the pandemic: As one of the earliest states to reopen, it was one to monitor carefully. But it’s still surprising that Tennessee saw the highest percentage increase in new cases for the week ending in July 5, adding 11,259 cases, according to Reuters. That’s a 122 percent rise, meaning new cases more than doubled.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb The experts at Covid Act Now consider Tennessee to be a “high-risk” state, thanks in large part to the high infection rate (the number of people the average sick person will infect) of 1.24, which means the virus is spreading quickly. As of July 7, The New York Times reports over 51,500 coronavirus cases in Tennessee, with around 645 deaths. And for another state in serious trouble, This State Is Warning People to “Shelter in Place” as ICUs Reach Capacity. In contrast to Tennessee, Delaware isn’t a state many people have been concerned about during the pandemic. And yet, per Reuters, the additional 902 cases last week represent a 100 percent rise (or a doubling) in new COVID cases. Covid Act Now also considers Delaware to be a “high-risk” state, despite a positive test rate of 5.3 percent, which is just slightly over the rate considered low by the World Health Organization (WHO). That’s because cases are still spreading rapidly in Delaware, which has a high infection rate of 1.21. There are currently just under 23,300 coronavirus cases in the state, and there have been about 510 deaths. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
