Developed by the Harvard Global Health Institute, the COVID Risk Level Map illustrates how severe the pandemic is within each United States county. Take a look at it right here.
Live reports from WHO, USAFact, OWID and Bing COVID Tracker fuel the data behind the project, which ranks each area by four colors: green, yellow, orange and red. Green counties boast less than one case per 100,000 people and are considered "on track for containment;" yellow ones are home to less than 10 cases per 100,000 folks, referenced as "community spread;" orange areas are under the "accelerated spread" category, boasting between 10 to 24 cases per 100,000 people; and red counties are considered to be at a tipping point, with over 25 cases per 100,000 residents.
According to the map, four states are now "in the red:" Arizona, Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana. Vermont and Hawaii, both marked "yellow" and registering 1.1 daily new cases per 100,000 people, are the areas that seem to be fairing best.
But the effort goes a step forward, not only analyzing the problem but actually coming up with community guidelines on how to properly respond to outbreaks.
"The public needs clear and consistent information about COVID risk levels in different jurisdictions for personal decision-making, and policy-makers need clear and consistent visibility that permits differentiating policy across jurisdictions," explains Danielle Allen, director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University in an official statement. "We also collectively need to keep focused on what should be our main target: a path to near zero case incidence."
Areas in the green are advised to monitor cases with viral testing and contact tracing programs; those in the yellow, according to the map's developers, should invest in rigorous test and trace programs; orange counties, in addition to test and trace methods, should implement stay-at-home orders while those in the red should immediately ask residents to shelter in place.
So whether you're planning on embarking on a road trip, a day trip or any sort of within-the-country vacation, we've got one suggestion for you: consult this map.
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