The death toll from covid-19 began to rise steadily in early March, then more sharply as the disease spread to every state and most U.S. territories.

“>PLEASE NOTE
The Washington Post is providing this story for free so that all readers have access to this important information about the coronavirus. For more free stories, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter.
The disease caused by the novel coronavirus has killed at least   people in the United States since February, and numbers of cases are spiking in some states that hadnt seen large outbreaks in the spring.
Adj. for populationTotals
Places with the largest case increases over last week
7-day rolling average of daily new reported cases per 100,000 residents
The overall daily death toll declined from May to late June, largely because of a sharp decrease in deaths and reported infections in some of the hardest-hit urban centers most notably New York City.
But the virus is now accelerating through states such as Texas, Florida and Arizona, and public health officials in some places report not just more new cases but also increases in hospitalizations and in the percentage of tests that are coming up positive.
[As states reopen, here’s where people are going]
At least have been reported since Feb. 29.
7-day rolling average
The countrys top infectious-disease expert, Anthony S. Fauci, emphasized in testimony before Congress the need for wearing masks in hopes of squelching new surges as states loosen more and more of the restrictions that were put in place in March and April.
Criteria for reporting deaths has changed in some states and cities, and numbers in this story may fluctuate as jurisdictions adjust their counting and reporting procedures. In mid-April, New York City added more than 3,700 deaths of people who were presumed to have the coronavirus but were never tested, and New Jersey added more than 1,800 on June 25.
Most health officials including Fauci, in earlier testimony said the virus has killed more people than official death tolls indicate.
[Where states are reopening]
[Mapping the spread of the coronavirus worldwide]
The virus continues to kill in New York, where at least   cases have been reported and at least   have died. But the pace has slowed considerably from the peak weeks in March and April when more than 1,000 died on some days.
Meanwhile, smaller pockets of the virus continue to arise in nursing homes, prisons, factories and other facilities in more rural areas. The disease has hit communities of color especially hard.
As of late June, Florida, Arizona and Texas account for far more new cases than New York and New Jersey. Alarmed by the astounding increases, governors of Florida and Texas ordered bars to close again on June 26.
[Tracking known coronavirus cases in D.C., Maryland and Virginia]
Adj. for populationTotals
Reported cases per 100,000 residents
Adj. for populationTotals

In Florida, home to millions of retirees, 1 of every 4 covid-19 deaths had been associated with a long-term care facility as of April. By late June, however, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the median age was down to 37. Nationwide, the virus has killed at least 26,000 nursing home residents, according to numbers released June 1. Most deaths worldwide have occurred among people older than 50 and those with underlying health problems, as they are often most vulnerable to respiratory disease.
However, as Florida data demonstrates, cases are showing up in younger people as restrictions on staying home are lifted. Researchers have also linked the disease to a mysterious and deadly inflammatory syndrome in hundreds of U.S. children, an indication that much is still unknown about the virus and the way it affects different people.
[U.S. coronavirus death toll surpasses 100,000, exposing nations vulnerabilities]
Meat and poultry processing plants have experienced large, localized outbreaks. In states including South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Washington and Indiana, plants were forced to cut production or close. By late May, thousands of workers had tested positive even as plants overhauled their safety measures, causing industry experts to predict supply shortages and higher meat prices this summer.
Sparsely populated rural areas dont have the huge raw numbers of cases or deaths that cities are reporting, but some rank among the highest in deaths and cases per capita. People in very rural areas are more likely to die of flu than urbanites and may be more vulnerable to covid-19 as well, according to a Post analysis of CDC data.
A handful of counties in southwestern Georgia have some of the highest and most persistent rates of infection and deaths in the country.
Adj. for populationTotals

[What you need to know about coronavirus]
Testing was slow to begin, and for months far fewer U.S. residents had been tested than experts said was necessary to get a true picture of the viruss reach. It wasnt until June that U.S. testing met the World Health Organizations guidelines and was considered thorough enough to accurately detect emerging hot spots.
In a June 25 call with reporters, CDC Director Robert Redfield estimated that, based on antibody tests, the actual number of U.S. residents who have been infected with the coronavirus is likely to be 10 times as high as the number of confirmed cases.
Adj. for populationTotals
Tests reported per 100,000 residents

About this story
Data on deaths and cases comes from Post reporting and Johns Hopkins University. Post-reported data is gathered from state sites and from county and city sites for certain jurisdictions. Deaths are recorded on the dates they are announced, not necessarily the dates they occur. All numbers are provisional and may be revised by the jurisdictions.
On April 14, New York City authorities began including probable covid-19 deaths, which added more than 3,700 previous deaths to the city’s total.
Population data are five-year estimates from the 2018 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau.
State stay-at-home order data from Post reporting. State-of-emergency declarations were tallied by Boston University’s covid-19 U.S. state policy database.
Testing data is from the Covid-19 Tracking Project.
Jacqueline Dupree, Simon Glenn-Gregg, Erik Reyna and Susan Tyler contributed to this report. Armand Emamdjomeh edited this page.
Recent changes on this page