The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has exploded within the last two weeks. According to the CDC, the total cases reported in the country as of April 15th were 615,215, with a total of 26,211 deaths and 49,970 recoveries. Data is changing every day, but as of now, the United States has the most confirmed cases than any other country in the world. Spain has 177,644 confirmed cases as of April 15th, that’s at least 500,000 less than the U.S. Italy is now is the third country with the highest count of reported cases with 165,000. China has a total of 82,295 cases reported and 3,342 deaths.

Reported Cases by State in the U.S.

The CDC is continuously updating the number of cases reported in the country. The information on the map below is subject to change as the number of reported cases continues to grow. This map highlights the current count per state, including Washington D.C. as of April 15th, 2020.

State Rankings From Highest to Lowest

Rank State Cases Reported
#1 New York 195081
#2 New Jersey 64584
#3 Massachusetts 26867
#4 Michigan 25635
#5 Pennsylvania 24199
#6 California 22348
#7 Illinois 22025
#8 Louisiana 21016
#9 Florida 20394
#10 Texas 13906
#11 Georgia 13621
#12 Connecticut 13381
#13 Washington 10538
#14 Maryland 9472
#15 Indiana 8236
#16 Colorado 7691
#17 Ohio 6975
#18 Virginia 6171
#19 Tennessee 5610
#20 North Carolina 4816
#21 Missouri 4388
#22 Alabama 3803
#23 Arizona 3702
#24 South Carolina 3439
#25 Wisconsin 3428
#26 Mississippi 3087
#27 Rhode Island 2976
#28 Nevada 2971
#29 Utah 2392
#30 Oklahoma 2069
#31 Kentucky 2048
#32 District of Columbia 1955
#33 Delaware 1761
#34 Iowa 1710
#35 Minnesota 1695
#36 Oregon 1584
#37 Idaho 1486
#38 Arkansas 1410
#39 Kansas 1376
#40 New Mexico 1345
#41 New Hampshire 1020
#42 Nebraska 871
#43 South Dakota 868
#44 Vermont 748
#45 Maine 698
#46 West Virginia 626
#47 Hawaii 504
#48 Montana 398
#49 Wyoming 373
#50 North Dakota 331
#51 Alaska 277

Top 5 States With the Most Reported Cases

#1 New York

New York is the state with the highest cases with 195,081 infections reported. Governor Cuomo recently announced that 500,000 test kits were going to be created at no charge. New York City has come to a halt after Governor Cuomo asked to pause functions through April 13th. The state will re-evaluate restrictions after two-weeks. New York surpassed all states by at least 60,000 people.

#2 New Jersey

New Jersey is the second state with the highest cases of COVID-19 with 64,584 reported infections. The death toll in the state is 537. That number doubled in size in just two days, showing how quick the virus can spread. A statewide closure of all non-essential businesses was issued on March 21st and will continue until further notice.

#3 Massachusetts

Massachusetts is the fifth state with the highest cases with 7,738 infections. Governor Charlie Baker extended the stay-at-home advisory and non-essential business closure that was set to expire April 7th until May 4th.

#4 Michigan

Michigan came in third with 25,635 reported cases. The state has taken several steps to protect its citizens from the virus. They have increased food assistance for 350,000 families who rely on federal SNAP benefits. Eligible Households will also receive Food Assistance Program benefits. You can read more about these benefits here.

#5 Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has now surpassed California for the fifth spot. The state now has 24,199 reported cases and is said to have defined areas where the infections are the highest. According to the states’ website, they are in critical need of medical supplies. They added a list of supplies needed, including; masks, powered air-purifying respirators, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, lab supplies, and diagnostic supplies and instruments.

What is Being Affected?

Public health is not the only thing being affected by the Corona Virus, businesses have been hit incredibly hard because of the mandatory stay-at-home advisory and the closure of all non-essentials businesses. This financial hit to the economy has also increased the unemployment number to more than 10 million people. That is just the number of people who filed for unemployment, this does not include undocumented workers who cannot apply for unemployment.

Additionally, the COVID-19 impact on estate planning has reportedly impacted 82% of adult’s views on estate planning. Namely, the self-employed (92% of them) have been affected the most. It’s reported that since the pandemic, 59% of people will either set up a will or trust, plan to do so, or have already made changes to their estate planning.

People are now waiting for a stimulus check that is supposed to be sent out within the next three weeks. The amount of these checks will be decided depending on each household’s annual income. It will also be done with the information given if you filed your taxes in 2018 or 2019. However, many people have criticized the amount saying a $1,200 barely covers monthly rent in many states.

COVID-19 has also brought court proceedings to a halt. Every state has either pushed deadlines for court proceedings, closed courtrooms, and offices and postponed trials for at least a month. This as an effect has trickled down to Law Firms and businesses who rely on the movements of trials and court proceedings to continue doing business. Many law firms across the state have offered remote and online intake options for their clients, however, with courthouse proceedings shutting down, for the time being, many are left unable to move forward with pending cases. Criminal proceedings are the most affected because this shut down could affect the amount of time someone is detained. If they are awaiting trial for charges, this halt will delay court proceedings, meaning their time detained may be increased.

What You Can Do?

The most important thing to do after looking at these alarming statistics is to follow each advisory given in your state and neighborhood and make sure to stay safe. When it comes to financial matters, stay informed and look for any help your state is offering. Patience is, unfortunately, the main thing that is needed to get through a Pandemic with such force as COVID-19.