This Is The City In Rhode Island With The Most COVID-19 Cases

By Evan Comen, 24/7 Wall St. Providence

2022-02-24

The U.S. has reported more than 77.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases as of February 22. More than 924,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 — the highest death toll of any country.

Nationwide, there were an average of 36.7 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans in the week ending February 22. Cumulatively, the U.S. has reported 23,648.0 cases per 100,000 Americans, and 281.6 deaths per 100,000 Americans.

In Rhode Island, there were an average of 35.1 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents in the week ending February 22. Cumulatively, Rhode Island has reported 33,395.2 cases per 100,000 state residents, the most of all 50 states. Rhode Island has reported 320.7 deaths per 100,000, the 18th most of all 50 states.

While the nation’s largest metropolitan areas were hit hardest in the early months of the pandemic, nearly every city has suffered from the virus. Outbreaks are particularly likely to occur in places where large numbers of people tend to congregate, leaving cities with high concentrations of colleges, correctional facilities, and nursing homes particularly at risk.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Providence-Warwick metropolitan area has reported 471,684 confirmed cases, or 29,147.5 per 100,000 residents — the most of any city in Rhode Island.

Providence-Warwick is the only metropolitan area in Rhode Island and ranks as the city with the most cases per capita by default.

The coronavirus crisis has led to widespread unemployment across the country as consumer-facing businesses are forced to close and customers are encouraged to stay home. Unemployment in Providence-Warwick peaked at 18.5% in April 2020, and is now at 5.2% as of November 2021.

To determine the metropolitan area in each state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked metropolitan areas according to the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents as of February 22. Data was aggregated from the county level to the metropolitan area level using boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population data used to adjust case and death totals came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey and are five-year estimates.

These are all the counties in Rhode Island where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).

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This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St., a news organization that produces real-time business commentary and data-driven reporting for state and local markets across the country.