Coronavirus can still spread at epidemic rates in 24 states, particularly in the South and Midwest, according to new research highlighting the risk of a second wave of infections in places that reopen too quickly or without sufficient precautions.
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Researchers from Imperial College London created a model It incorporates cell phone data showing how mobility was reduced when quarantines were imposed in March. However, with the lifting of restrictions, mobility has increased and expected to hit a sort of ‘start of summer’ this Memorial Day weekend.
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According to the Imperial College model, some states have had little viral spread or “flattened the curve” to a great extent, so they have some leeway to reopen their economies; but others are not at that point.
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“There is evidence that the United States is not under control, at the entire country level,” said Samir Bhatt, a tenured professor of geostatistics at Imperial College, quoted by The Washington Post.
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In 24 states, the model shows a reproduction number greater than 1. Texas tops the list, followed by Arizona, Illinois, Colorado, Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Alabama, and Wisconsin.
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