Measured by the average number of people who become sick from an infectious person, the site tracks the effective reproduction rate (Rt) of COVID-19 infections. If the value is less than one, the spread of the disease is slowing. The higher the Rt number, the worse the spread.
Editor’s note: This list contains ties. This story was updated May 29 to reflect the latest rt.live update, which was made at 12:15 p.m. on May 28.
Fourteen states with fastest spread of COVID-19
1. Tennessee — 1.06
2. Alabama — 1.04
4. Arkansas — 1.01
5. Utah — 1
Maine — 1
6. Idaho — 0.99
Texas — 0.99
West Virginia — 0.99
7. Washington — 0.98
8. Arizona — 0.97
9. California — 0.96
North Carolina — 0.96
North Dakota — 0.96
South Carolina — 0.96
Fourteen states with slowest spread of COVID-19
1. Hawaii — 0.60
2. Alaska — 0.72
3. Vermont — 0.77
4. New York — 0.80
5. New Jersey — 0.83
6. Connecticut — 0.86
Nevada — 0.86
7. Kansas — 0.87
8. South Dakota — 0.88
9. Delaware — 0.89
Georgia — 0.89
New Hampshire — 0.89
New Mexico — 0.89
Pennsylvania — 0.89
More articles on public health:
Remdesivir sent to hospitals without eligible patients + 4 more COVID-19 updates
What a coronavirus ‘second peak’ could look like
How COVID-19 is changing hospitals’ population health strategies
