Leaked government map reveals almost entire US is a Covid hotspot
And the Midwest is leading the surge
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Nearly the entire US is a Covid hot spot, a leaked government map reveals.
Yahoo! News obtained an internal 28 November chart from the US departments of homeland security and health which show nearly the entire country blanketed in red, denoting counties which are “sustained hotspots.”
These pandemic zones, which swallow up nearly the entire state in places like Arizona and the hard-hit Midwest, are “communities that have had a high sustained case burden and may be higher risk for experiencing healthcare resource limitations,” according to the chart.
In other words, maxed out hospitals. Not enough staff or beds. California governor Gavin Newsom has warned that the state could be out of ICU beds before Christmas Eve.
Last week, the US hit an unprecedented 200,000 new cases in a single day, while Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease experts, warned of a “surge upon a surge” following the massive amount of cross-country travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Yahoo! acquired another map which showed how many cases each county had per 100,000 people, and revealed that nearly the entire state of Minnesota, as well as large swathes of the Dakotas, New Mexico, Ohio, Illinois, and Wyoming have 500 or more per 100,000, well above the average of 336.
The pandemic is now so diffuse throughout the country experts have a hard time pinpointing exactly what scenarios are driving this most recent surge, though people congregating in long-term care facilities, food processing plants, prisons, health care settings, and restaurants and bars remain a leading driver of coronavirus spread.
Others argue the latest surge is drive in part by small in-person gatherings. Partially due to loosening state rules, a fatigued population, and cold winter weather, people have been gathering in close quarters, where the disease is more easily spread.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments