In the latest COVID-19 infection update from The Daily Yonder, the Omicron variant has fully spread to rural America and is still causing high infection rates.
As of Jan. 22, the rural death rate from COVID is nine percent higher than the urban rate, a decrease from December surge rates.
From the update: “Unlike the Delta surge, which started in the Midwest and created distinct regional surges over the course of months, the Omicron surge is everywhere at once. Alabama had the highest rural new-infection rate last week. Of the five states with the highest rate of new rural infections, only one other state was in the South (South Carolina). The rest were in the Midwest (Kansas), the Pacific (Hawaii), and the Southwest (Arizona).
The only regional variation in this national pattern is New England, which was hit early by Omicron and is now recovering. Maine, which led the nation in rural infection just weeks ago, now has the lowest rate of new rural infections in the nation. Vermont is second lowest. Connecticut is fifth.”
According to the update, rural America will see the peak of new Omicron cases and infections soon.
To read the rest of the update on the Yonder, click here.
SOURCE: The Daily Yonder
