COVID-19 has reached many regions of the United States of America. Most of the cases in the country are primarily in big urban areas. More than one-third of the United States counties are still COVID-19-free, says an article.

COVID-19 Statistics

 Based on the compiled data by the Johns Hopkins University, 1,297 counties in the US have no confirmed cases of the COVID-19. There are a total of 3,142 counties in the United States.

The total number of counties with no COVID-19 cases has decreased rapidly.

85% of the total counties with no positive cases of the deadly disease are rural areas. Some of these counties are rural areas with a majority of Native Americans and Hispanic communities in the American Southwest and the white communities in Appalachia and the Great Plain. These places are not generally in contact with individuals who may transmit the virus to the citizens of these counties.

The counties with no case of the COVID-19 have a higher median age. Also, these counties have a higher proportion of citizens older than 60 years old. These people are the most vulnerable to the severe symptoms of the illness. In these places, there is a fewer number of intensive care beds. The median income in every household for these counties is also lower. This serves as a limit to the health care options in the area.

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The Guidelines

The government had made guidelines to rate counties based on the risk of the novel coronavirus spreading. This helps empower local authorities to revise their social distancing orders.

Infectious disease experts are seeing an opportunity to prevent the fast spread of the novel coronavirus in places in the country that benefits natural isolation and social distancing. This is true if new cases of the COVID-19 in these areas can be detected immediately and are quarantined immediately. This allows health care networks to have more time to give needed care and reduce the mortality rate in the area.

However, these experts are also expressing their concern on irregular testing for the COVID-19 may be a way to mask outbreaks of the illness that may leave it unnoticed. This scenario may cause the overwhelming of rural health networks.

COVID-19 Tests in US Counties

According to an epidemiology professor at the University of California named Christine Johnson, these counties will get the epidemic or infection later parts of the duration of the pandemic. However, Johnson said she doesn't believe that they are protected because there is no place in the country that is isolated.

Johnson hopes that the cases in those counties are zero. She worries that the country may not be conducting enough tests in those counties.

In New Mexico, the governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham is already implementing aggressive measures to prevent the further spread of the Novel coronavirus in the state.