The coronavirus rate is also only about 4 cases per 10,000 in the most rural parts of the state — that is, counties without a city having a population of 10,000 or more.

Even in major meatpacking centers outside Hall, Dawson and Dakota, the average rate is half the state average. Colfax, where meatpacking makes up the highest percentage of jobs of any county in Nebraska, to date has seen few cases. Rates in Madison County are also low, though they appear to now be on the rise.

But rates as of Thursday morning were nearly 100 per 10,000 in Hall, nearly 84 in Dawson and over 43 in Dakota, towering above the rest of the state.

What’s happening in those rural Nebraska counties is in some ways not a complete surprise, Hewlett said. A similar pattern was seen when the virus swept through Italy earlier this year, with many smaller communities hard hit. And it’s playing out in many counties across the Great Plains, particularly those that are hubs of meatpacking.

With thousands of people working in close quarters in an industry that’s considered essential to the nation’s food supply, “it really is a setup for perpetuating a disease like this that’s spread from person to person,” Hewlett said.