West Virginia residents may now view an interactive map of the state and each individual county featuring available data about the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As news releases pour in, it can be confusing or overwhelming,” James Leonard, professor and chair of Marshall University’s Department of Geography, said. “This dashboard and map allow users to see totals for the state and for each county at a glance.”

Leonard and Marshall faculty member Larry Evans, adjunct geography professor, created the interactive map and launched it last month. The map will be updated daily with available data relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

Leonard said the map will be useful for residents as a way of narrowing their focus on their home state, which can be difficult or even impossible using available national and world maps.

“Clicking on a county will pop up a window with the county name, number of confirmed cases, number of deaths and number of cases per 100,000 population,” Leonard said. “As you zoom in, you’ll see pharmacies, hospitals, EMS stations and nursing homes, all critical in the fight against the pandemic.”

The map also includes a count of total cases, tests and deaths in West Virginia.

As of Sunday, April 12, West Virginia has reported a total of 611 positive cases and has tested 16,257 individuals. Eight deaths have been reported since the first known positive case on March 17. For context, the United States has reported a total of 525,704 positive cases, and 20,486 deaths have been reported since the first known positive case on January 20.

As of the same time, Berkeley County has reported the most positive cases in the state with 92, followed by Kanawha with 86, Monongalia with 83, Jefferson with 49, Marion with 34 and Harrison with 28. Cabell County has reported 23 confirmed cases, which indicates a rate of about 24 positive cases per 100,000 people in the county. Zero deaths have been reported in Cabell County.

The interactive map can be found at  https://marshalledu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/aef56b586cb7430b829a16169ee4f81c.

Douglas Harding can be contacted at [email protected].