The data, released by Rt.live, looks at the Rt value, which is a key metric in finding out how rapidly the virus is spreading. According to the site, the Rt value is “the average number of people who become infected by an infectious person.”
“If Rt is above 1.0, the virus will spread quickly. When Rt is below 1.0, the virus will stop spreading,” the site states.
According to the data, at least 35 states are currently reporting an Rt value above 1.0, meaning the virus is spreading quickly in these states. Vermont currently has the highest Rt rate of 1.29, according to the data, which also shows the state’s Rt rate ranging between .99 and 1.56.
In Vermont, there are currently over 1,800 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and at least 58 deaths, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University.
Following behind Vermont is Wyoming, with an Rt rate of 1.27, while New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New Mexico all have an Rt rate of 1.20 or above. According to the tracker from Johns Hopkins, there are currently over 6,000 cases in Wyoming, over 8,000 in New Hampshire, more than 135,000 in Massachusetts and over 30,000 in New Mexico.
Other states that have an Rt rate above 1.0, according to the data, include Montana, Alaska, Indiana, Utah, New York, Connecticut, Idaho, South Dakota, Nevada, Washington, Rhode Island, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Oregon, Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Maryland, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio and North Carolina. Washington, D.C. also has an Rt rate above 1.0, according to the data.
On the other hand, at least 15 states currently have an Rt rate below 1.0, and include a number of former COVID-19 hotspot states. According to the data, South Carolina currently has the lowest Rt rate of .78, while West Virginia, Mississippi and Virginia all have Rt rates below .90.
There are currently over 100,000 confirmed cases of the disease in South Carolina, Mississippi and Virginia, while West Virginia has reported at least 16,942 cases.
The other states that have an Rt value below 1.0 include Texas, Georgia, Maine, Alabama, Minnesota, California, Florida, Louisiana, Colorado, North Dakota and Arizona.
Across the U.S., there are currently over 7.4 million cases of COVID-19 and at least 210,487 deaths, according to the tracker from Johns Hopkins.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
