As COVID-19 surges across the United States, particularly in the Southern and Western parts of the country, it is important to track where the virus is gaining a foothold. An updated data tool from the University of Chicago provides a unique county-level look at how COVID-19 is spreading and how social and economic conditions from poverty to residential segregation to income also have an impact.
The US COVID Atlas reveals newly emerging hot spots with new cases in places like Florida, Arizona, and Alabama as well as more mature hot spots with confirmed cases that have accumulated over time. The map also shines a light on the spread of the virus on Native American Tribal communities, hypersegregated cities and communities along the Black Belt in the South—all painting a clearer picture of places that share a greater burden of the pandemic. With the addition of County Health Rankings measures, this tool is a helpful resource for understanding a community's conditions and can help guide services, resources, and policies to where the need is greatest.