If you’re keeping up with coronavirus news, you might be a bit confused about the risk these days. Some states are loosening restrictions, some states are continuing theirs, and the stats on the increases in cases can be scary. It can be difficult to know exactly where you stand on the risk of getting the virus.
“There hasn’t been a unified, national approach to communicating risk, says Danielle Allen, a professor and director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. “That’s made it harder for people.”
Luckily, there’s now a cool new tool that shows the specific COVID-19 risk where you live. The online assessment map lets you check your state or county, which will rate your risk in colors: Green, yellow, orange, or red.
Green means that your community has fewer than one daily new case per 100,000—so that’s where you’ll want to be. One to 9 is yellow, and between 10 and 24 is orange. If it’s above 25, your area will show in red.
“When you get into that orange and red zone it means, in all likelihood, you’re seeing a lot of velocity, a kind of fast upward trend,” says Allen.
The best part about this tool is that you’re analyzing the risk where you actually live, instead of just by state. This also makes it easier to visit friends or even just run errands—just take a look at the risk in those areas.
“It allows you to compare a rural area in upstate New York compared to New York City and have an apples-to-apples comparison for relative impact and relative caseload,” says Ellie Graeden of Talus Analytics and the Center for Global Health, Science and Security at Georgetown University.
What’s the risk where you live? Do you feel comfortable being in a group setting or are still staying home to be safe?