After an alarming surge in coronavirus cases that began in June and continued through most of July, it appears that new COVID-19 infections may be leveling off nationwide. On Aug. 9, the U.S. reported fewer than 50,000 new cases for the second time in a week, after nearly a month exceeding that level on a daily basis. While it is possible the worst is over, the average daily infection rate remains disturbingly high in many states. And while the spread is slowing in a number of states, it is actually still rising in a handful. 

Using data from state and local health departments, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed the average of new daily confirmed COVID-19 cases for the week ending Aug. 9 and compared it to the average from the previous week to determine the states where the spread of the coronavirus is declining the fastest, remaining relatively unchanged, and where it is still increasing.  

The average number of new daily cases per capita in the United States fell slightly, from 19.0 per 100,000 during the week ending Aug. 2 to 17.5 per 100,000 in the week ending Aug. 9, a decrease of 1.5 daily new cases per 100,000 people. In 17 states, the average number of daily new cases declined by at least 2 per 100,000, week-over-week. Meanwhile, four states reported an increase of at least 1 case per 100,000, including one state reporting nearly 10 new cases on average per 100,000 residents compared to the previous week.  

The states that recorded the largest decreases in the number of daily new cases per capita are states in the South and West that recorded the fastest virus surge in June and July. Even after reporting declines in new cases over the past week, these states still, for the most part, have among the most daily cases per capita. This includes Florida, which reported a decline of 12.5 cases, from 46.4 per 100,000 residents to 34.0 per 100,000. After that decrease, the state still has the third-most new daily COVID-19 cases per capita. 

Even as the state figure is declining, Florida still has some metro areas reporting major increases in new cases. Here are the cities where COVID-19 is growing the fastest.

Click here to see the states where the virus spread is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).