UNITED STATES - Minnesota and Nebraska have seen a surge in new coronavirus cases as data shows that COVID-19 is on the rise across the United States with infection rates increasing even as states continue to lift their lockdown measures.
Data is showing that declining cases in hard-hit New York are driving the national trend downwards when more than a third of states are actually still seeing infections increase.
Despite the rising infections, the majority of states across the US have lifted lockdown restrictions or have announced plans to reopen - even as health experts warn of potential spikes in deaths.
The two Midwest states of Minnesota and Nebraska are showing alarming trends, according to data compiled by Axios comparing the seven day averages of new infections for each state over two weeks.
Minnesota, which has a total of 7,234 cases, has seen a 155 percent increase in new infections in the span of a week. With just over 6,000 cases, Nebraska has seen a 57 percent increase in new infections in a week.
Iowa, which has 10,400 infections, has seen a 42 percent increase in cases and Virginia's infections, which are now at 20,200, have increased 31 percent.
At the other end of the scale, Arkansas and Wyoming are showing the most decline in cases. Arkansas, for example, has seen a 61 percent decline in new cases, bringing the total to nearly 3,500. Meanwhile, Wyoming has seen a 63 percent decline, bringing the total to nearly 600 cases.
Hard-hit New York, which has more than 321,000 cases, has seen a decrease of 38 percent in new infections.(FA)
