Mecklenburg COVID positivity rate reaches winter-surge level. Here’s the ZIP code map.
The rate of positive COVID-19 tests in Mecklenburg now exceeds 12%, a volume last record in January when holiday gatherings led to soaring cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
State health officials have long relied on a 5% positivity threshold for gauging the level of COVID-19 transmission throughout North Carolina. A higher rate of positive tests means the virus is circulating more rapidly.
Health officials say the latest acceleration of coronavirus cases is spurred by the highly contagious delta variant — and exacerbated by low vaccination rates. In Mecklenburg County, half of all residents are still not immunized, according to state health data.
But the virus spread is uneven around Charlotte, with positivity rates by individual ZIP codes varying by as much as 11.7 percentage points, according to new data that Mecklenburg County Public Health shared with the Observer. The data capture the positivity rates July 17 for through July 30.
Just two ZIP codes reported positivity rates below 5%, including in Davidson. Meanwhile, 12 ZIP codes reported positivity rates between 10-13%. And four ZIP codes were at or above 13%, including in west Charlotte along Beatties Ford Road and east Charlotte neighborhoods close to Interstate 485.
Here is the positivity rate breakdown. ZIP codes are for Charlotte, unless otherwise noted.
Below 5%
28036 (Davidson): 3.1%
28207: 3.9%
Below 10%
28211: 6.2%
28226: 6.7%
28209: 6.9%
28210: 6.9%
28204: 7%
28277: 7.6%
28134 (Pineville): 8.1%
28270: 8.3%
28105 (include Matthews): 8.4%
28205: 8.8%
28206: 9.7%
Between 10-13%
28203: 10.3%
28227 (includes Mint Hill): 10.5%
28273: 10.5%
28278: 10.6%
28031 (Cornelius): 10.8%
28262: 11%
28078 (Huntersville): 11.1%
28269: 11.2%
28202: 11.7%
28217: 11.8%
28212: 12.4%
28214: 12.4%
At or above 13%
28208: 13%
28213: 14.4%
28215: 14.6%
28216: 14.8%
Database editor Gavin Off contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 12:51 PM.