June 29. The New York City metro region was the epicenter of COVID-19 impact during March, April, and May; however, rates of transmission have clearly changed between May and June. As New York’s transmission rates continue to drop—67.2 percent less in June to be exact—transmission has ramped up in states throughout the south and the west, notably Arizona, Texas, and Florida. North Carolina, with an 85.6 percent increase, ranked 17th in increasing percentage rates as of June 28. With several recent days when Florida has seen new cases in excess of 9,000, the epicenters indicate a shift from population density to reopening policies. Keep in mind, percentages are a function of change rather than sheer numbers. Montana’s rate of change seems to be high, but the state had 62 cases in May and 348 in June, whereas Florida had 22,473 new cases in May and 84,912 in June. Our source was Johns Hopkins University data.