Vermont has the highest COVID-19 reproduction rate, while Nebraska has the lowest according to rt.live.
Rt.live is a website that calculates the rate at which the virus is spreading. Measured by the average number of people who become sick from an infectious person, the site tracks the effective reproduction rate (Rt) of COVID-19 infections. If the value is less than one, the spread of the disease is slowing. The higher the Rt number, the worse the spread.
The model attempts to correct for increases in testing volume, which can influence positivity rates. The site shows both new cases and what the model believes actual cases would have been when corrected for testing volume. The latter figure, known as test-adjusted positives, is used to calculate the Rt number for each state. Rt.live also said test-adjusted positives could be an understatement of true infections, since testing volumes may reflect a disproportionate amount of people who don't have symptoms and are taking the test as a precaution. For more on methodology, click here.
Editor's note: This list contains ties and is based on data last updated Jan. 27.
8 states with fastest spread of COVID-19
1. Vermont — 1.15
2. Hawaii — 1.12
3. Virginia — 1.02
4. Mississippi — 1.01
5. New Hampshire — 1.00
Oklahoma — 1.00
6. Delaware — 0.99
Florida — 0.99
8 states with slowest spread of COVID-19
1. Nebraska — 0.79
2. Alaska — 0.81
California — 0.81
3. Wisconsin — 0.83
4. Georgia — 0.84
Idaho — 0.84
New Mexico — 0.84
5. Illinois — 0.85
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