WASHINGTON — The Census Bureau will plan a “final push” outreach effort this month to encourage many communities that haven’t responded to the census to do so, the agency said Wednesday during an update of plans amid a coronavirus pandemic that continues to spike in pockets throughout the country.

“The campaign will be nationwide but will have extra emphasis and resources spent . in the lowest responding areas throughout the nation,” Tim Olson, the Census Bureau’s associate director, said during a call with reporters.

Households that haven’t responded could get a knock on the door from one of more than 500,000 census takers late this month in 12 localities across the country, including six announced during the call: Hartford, Connecticut; State College, Pennsylvania; Evansville, Indiana; Wichita, Kansas, Tacoma, Washington; and the Crystal City section of Arlington, Virginia.

The Census Bureau had paused most of its efforts in March to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, causing a delay that the agency said will force it to miss its statutory Dec. 31 deadline to complete the once-a-decade count.

More than 61 percent of the country’s households have responded to the count but the agency’s largest efforts remain, said Census Bureau associate director Al Fontenot.

“This has been a challenging time as the virus ebbs and flows and increases in some parts of the country,” Fontenot told reporters during the call.

Census results are used to apportion the 435 House seats among all 50 states. They also drive more than $1.5 trillion in federal spending annually. Advocacy groups including the National Urban League have raised concerns that the census count may miss a disproportionate amount of minority communities throughout the country because of disruptions due to the pandemic.