Coronavirus Cases Are Falling Fastest in These Five States

By Soo Kim On 9/3/20 at 7:52 AM EDT

News Coronavirus California Arizona Georgia

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have climbed past 6.1 million, according to the latest report Thursday by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

Several states have reported a decline in new infections per capita (100,000 people) in a recent two-week period, including in the western and southern regions.

Here we look at five states that reported the greatest decrease in new cases per capita in the week ending September 2 (week one) from the previous seven days (week two).

All case data below is sourced from The New York Times, unless otherwise stated. All population data below is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau.

1. California

Week-to-week decrease in new cases per capita: 7,513

New cases per capita in week one: 34,308
New cases per capita in week two: 41,821
Total population: 39,512,223 (as of July 2019)
Total confirmed cases: 721,885

Average daily new cases in California mostly increased on a sharp incline from late March through early July. The average daily case count slightly flattened out through late July, peaking at 11,604 on July 29. The figure sharply increased through mid-August before declining again for the rest of August, according to the latest report Wednesday by JHU.

2. Georgia

Week-to-week decrease in new cases per capita: 2,505

New cases per capita in week one: 14,679
New cases per capita in week two: 17,184
Total population: 10,617,423 (as of July 2019)
Total confirmed cases: 258,482

The average daily case tally in Georgia mostly flattened out from early April to mid-June. From then, average daily new cases rose on a sharp incline through late July, peaking at 4,295 on July 24, before mostly declining through August, according to the latest report Wednesday by JHU.

3. Mississippi

Week-to-week decrease in new cases per capita: 1,621

New cases per capita in week one: 4,378
New cases per capita in week two: 5,999
Total population: 2,976,149 (as of July 2019)
Total confirmed cases: 84,365

Average daily new cases in Mississippi flattened out from early April to mid-June, before rising on a sharp incline through July. The average daily case count peaked at 1,599 on July 29 before mostly declining through August, according to the latest report Wednesday by JHU.

4. Arizona

Week-to-week decrease in new cases per capita: 1,280

New cases per capita in week one: 3,082
New cases per capita in week two: 4,362
Total population: 7,278,717 (as of July 2019)
Total confirmed cases: 202,898

Average daily new infections in Arizona remained relatively flat from late March through late May, before rising on a sharp incline until July 1, when the average daily case tally peaked at 4,300. Since then, the figure mostly declined through August, according to the latest report Wednesday by JHU.

5. Nevada

Week-to-week decrease in new cases per capita: 570

New cases per capita in week one: 3,193
New cases per capita in week two: 3,763
Total population: 1,934,408 (as of July 2019)
Total confirmed cases: 69,927

Average daily new infections in Nevada remained mostly flat from late March through May, before rising on a steep incline through July 17, when it peaked at 1,336. From then, the average daily case count mostly decreased through August, according to the latest report Wednesday by JHU.

Huntington Beach, California, July 2020 — People cross the street in Huntington Beach, California, on July 19, 2020. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 26 million people globally since it was first reported in Wuhan, China. Over 863,400 have died following infection, while over 17.3 million have reportedly recovered, as of Thursday, according to JHU.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, illustrates the spread of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.