These Are The Counties In The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area Where COVID-19 Is Growing The Fastest

Orlando FL

12 March, 2022

9:43 AM

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By Evan Comen, 24/7 Wall St. Orlando 2022-03-12 After adding over 295,000 new cases throughout the last week, the U.S. now has more than 78.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. There have been more than 950,000 COVID-19-related deaths — the highest death toll of any country. New cases continue to rise, albeit at a slowing rate. In the past week, there were an average of 15.4 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans — a decrease from the week prior, when there were an average of 22.6 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people. While COVID-19 has spread to nearly every part of the country, cities continue to be the sites of major outbreaks. Experts agree that the virus is more likely to spread in group settings where large numbers of people routinely have close contact with one another, such as colleges, nursing homes, bars, and restaurants. Metropolitan areas with a high degree of connectivity between neighborhoods and a large population may be particularly at-risk. The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, metro area consists of Orange County, Seminole County, Lake County, and one other county. In the past week, there were an average of 17.7 new coronavirus cases every day per 100,000 Orlando residents, in line with the national figure. The metro area's average daily case growth in the most recent week is a decrease from the week prior, when there was an average of 27.1 daily new cases per 100,000 Orlando residents. The spread of coronavirus depends on a variety of factors and can vary even between neighboring counties. Within the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area, COVID-19 is growing the fastest in Osceola County. There were an average of 20.3 new cases per day per 100,000 residents in Osceola County during the past week, the most of the four counties in Orlando with available data. Case growth in the Orlando metro area varies at the county level. In Seminole County, for example, there were an average of 11.5 new cases per day per 100,000 residents in the past week — the least of any county in Orlando and more than the case growth rate in Osceola County. Just as Osceola County is driving the growth of COVID-19 in the Orlando area, it also has the highest incidence of cases overall. As of March 10, there were a total of 32,198.7 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents in Osceola County, the most of the four counties in the metro area. For comparison, the U.S. has so far reported 24,221.8 cases per 100,000 Americans nationwide. The pandemic has led to the closure of thousands of consumer-facing businesses around the country. These changes have led to widespread job loss and record unemployment. In Osceola County, unemployment peaked at 29.0% in May 2020. As of June 2021, the county's unemployment rate was 7.2%. To determine the county in every metropolitan area where COVID-19 is growing the fastest, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked counties according to the average number of new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the seven days ending March 10. To estimate the incidence of COVID-19 at the metropolitan level, we aggregated data up from the county 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. Unemployment data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is not seasonally adjusted. These are all the counties in Florida where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it's still getting worse). Can't see the article's infographic? Click here to view the original story.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.