One Charlotte ZIP code had a large jump in its COVID rate. Here’s the map.
The coronavirus case rate shot up in a pocket of neighborhoods north of uptown, making residents in ZIP code 28206 the only ones to see an increase in Mecklenburg this past week, according to a Charlotte Observer analysis of publicly-available county health data.
The county’s other 28 ZIP codes saw lower numbers, continuing a weeks-long trend of steady decreases in most neighborhoods. The most recent data shows all ZIP codes in and around Charlotte have fewer than 700 new cases per 100,000 residents.
There’s been a slowdown in infections reported locally. However, testing is down, too — which limits officials’ understanding of the virus’s spread.
The COVID-19 case rate data by ZIP code shows only the most recent, or active, infections detected by coronavirus testing, and takes into account population to show where cases are most concentrated. Mecklenburg Public Health typically releases ZIP code-level data weekly.
The countywide 14-day average is 328.7 new cases per 100,000 residents.
That’s based on positive coronavirus test results from Feb. 18 to March 3 — and the case rate shows a 16% drop from last week’s average. It’s the lowest case rate since last fall when the county began releasing active case statistics by ZIP codes.
The 28206 ZIP code — which includes Tryon Hills, Druid Hills, and some streets between uptown and NoDa — had the county’s highest concentration of infections over the two-week period ending March 3. Then, there were 657.7 active cases per 100,000 residents. The week prior, it was 485.
The next highest were: 28204 (Cherry and Elizabeth), 28203 (South End and parts of Dilworth), 28031 (north Mecklenburg County near Cornelius and Lake Norman) and 28215 (includes Shannon Park, Hickory Grove and neighborhoods in east Charlotte, close to Interstate 485).
It’s the second week that ZIP code 28226, which includes areas along Sharon View Road and parts of Carmel and Wessex Square, has the lowest case rate in Charlotte, and the second week that ZIP code 28278, which includes the Steele Creek and Lake Wylie area, saw the biggest fall in COVID-19 case rates.
Despite decreases in ZIP code 28203 for the past two weeks, South End and parts of Dilworth are still seeing some of the consistently highest rates in Mecklenburg County.
COVID-19 case rates by ZIP code
This data comes from Mecklenburg County Public Health and includes positive COVID-19 test results, based on a person’s home ZIP code, between Feb. 18 and March 3.
Below 300 cases per 100,000 residents
- 28226: 218.5
- 28278: 255.8
- 28105: 260.0
- 28270: 277.8
- 28208: 289.3
- 28211: 295.8
- 28205: 297.2
Between 300-350 cases per 100,000
- 28214: 312.9
- 28277: 314.5
- 28273: 318.7
- 28210: 318.8
- 28078: 323.8
- 28212: 328.1
- 28213: 329.0
- 28217: 332.2
- 28227: 343.5
- 28269: 345.6
- 28202: 347.3
Between 350-400 cases per 100,000
- 28207: 365.4
- 28209: 366.8
- 28134: 371.0
- 28262: 388.3
- 28036: 390.5
- 28216: 394.5
Above 400 cases per 100,000
- 28215: 405.1
- 28031: 468.4
- 28203: 532.9
- 28204: 616.5
- 28206: 657.7
Gavin Off contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
