Wisconsin Metro Area Has 8th-Fastest Coronavirus Growth Rate

RACINE COUNTY, WI — The Racine metro area has the nation's eighth-fastest coronavirus case growth rate as of Monday morning, according to one report, and one leading study gives county residents an "F" on a social distancing scoreboard.

According to data presented in the New York Times, the Racine metro area — defined at the city of Racine combined with communities within Racine County — has the eighth-fastest case growth rate in the United States, and its case counts are doubling every 10.2 days. According to Wisconsin Department of Health data, Racine County had 399 cases on May 1. As of Monday morning, the county was up to 704 cases, with 16 COVID-19-related deaths. According to the most recent city of Racine data available as of Monday morning, the city has 327 active coronavirus cases, and 389 total confirmed cases.

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"The virus has begun cropping up in new places as it spreads across the country," the New York Times wrote. "To identify places that could flare up next, it’s helpful to look not just at the number of cases but how fast they are rising." The newspaper looked at the two most recent weeks' worth of data.

According to a Journal Times report, Racine County residents earned an "F" based on a social distancing scoreboard compiled by Unacast. According to the scoreboard, which relies on cell phone tracking data, county residents have only reduced their travel by less than 25 percent, have cut their nonessential visits by less than 55 percent and have cut their social encounters by less than 40 percent. That earned the county an "F" according to Uncast.

The metro area of Santa Maria - Santa Barbara in California is seeing cases double ever 3.9 days — tops in the nation as of Monday, according to the New York Times. The city of Saint Cloud in Minnesota has the second-fastest growth rate and is seeing cases double every 5.9 days, the paper said.

According to the New York Times, the city of Green Bay has seen the 14th-most number of cases per 1,000 residents in the United States over the last two weeks with 1,160 new cases. Health officials attribute the outbreak in part to the meat packing industry. According to a Green Bay Press Gazette report, of the 618 cases reported on April 24, 287 were linked to the meat packing industry.

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