Health & Wellbeing

COVID-19: Handy Map Helps Assess the Risks in Your Area

Natalia J.

Like Dislike

Font Size:

A+ A-

In a previous article, we’ve shared a global online Covid-19 map that shows how many cases of the virus, deaths, and recoveries have been recorded in which country, a handy tool that helps you understand the spread of the virus globally. However, with time, as the virus began to expand worldwide and infiltrate the most remote communities in the world, a need for a tool that would help you assess the risks catching the virus locally has emerged.

In some countries, especially those that have been especially successful in combatting the Covid-19 pandemic, local governments and private IT companies alike have developed online maps that help locals track the spread of the virus in specific cities or even neighborhoods, but the United States has been much slower in developing such a system. Only recently, at the beginning of July of 2020, the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) launched an online map that consolidates Covid-19 statistics across the United States. Without a doubt, this tool will be useful for both local and state governments and private residents. To learn more about this map, simply continue reading.

COVID-19 USA Map people in masks using laptop

As mentioned previously, the map has been created by the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) and it intends to provide an easy-to-understand risk assessment of emerging regional flareups of Covid-19 in specific states and counties. There is also a worldwide statistics page, but it is not as specific and will only provide rough, countrywide estimates of most places abroad.

The map is color-coded, with regions that appear in green having the lowest risk of Covid-19 at the moment, yellow and orange having low-medium and high-medium risk, and red areas having the highest risk of catching the virus to the point that it may require a stay-at-home order. These numbers are, of course, dynamic and are continuously updated. In terms of numbers, a community with less than 1 new daily case in 100,000 people is color-coded green, 1-9 corresponds with yellow, 10-24 is orange, and anything above 25 is color-coded red.

The Map in Action on the Example of the State of California Image Source: Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI)

The map also showcases certain statistics in the top left corner, such as the number of confirmed cases, the number of deaths, and the average risk during the past week. Searching for a specific state and selecting a county is easy: simply type in the state of interest in the search field at the bottom-left part of the screen, and the map of the state will appear.

In the example above, you can see the map of California (as of July 23, 2020). You can then click on any specific county and the risk and stats for that county will appear on the left of the screen. You can also simply hover over the country to see the same statistical information.

As you may imagine, this map will help you assess how severe the spread of Covid-19 is in your county, and whether or not you should plan outdoor trips in your area or any nearby county or state, for example. Keep in mind, however, that a green color-coded area doesn't necessarily mean your area is free of the virus, so make sure to abide by minimal requirements like mask-wearing, social distancing, and hand-washing at all times. We hope it will help you understand your risks and make living in these dangerous times easier.

If you're interested in trying out this useful map for free, you can do so by simply visiting the following website through this highlighted link: COVID-19 Risk Level Assessment Map

Share this informative article with family and friends!