Where are Charlotte’s worst concentrations of COVID-19? Here’s the map.
Mecklenburg’s average COVID-19 case rate has increased again, and county health officials report the worst concentration of new infections this past week was in uptown.
The countywide average is 688.3 new cases per 100,000 residents, based on positive coronavirus test results from August 12 to August 25. The average reported in late June and late July was 63.9 and 430.0, respectively.
Data show case rates in each ZIP code generally increasing. Mecklenburg County health officials reported a ZIP code earlier this month where the case rate translated to around 1% of residents testing positive for COVID-19 — a first in six months.
Recent data show that over the last two weeks, only six Mecklenburg County ZIP codes out of 29 saw decreases in case rates, while one saw no change.
Hospitalizations have surged in recent weeks, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19. The number of people hospitalized and number of those diagnosed with COVID-19 are lower than seen during a peak in January but health officials have said they’re concerned about the trend.
On average, 421 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 each day this week. At Mecklenburg’s COVID-19 peak, up to 540 people were hospitalized on average each day one week in mid-January.
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations may continue to rise over the next two to four weeks, based on how the delta variant has surged in other countries, Atrium Health infectious disease expert Dr. Katie Passaretti said on Tuesday.
“And then hopefully at that point, (it will) start to decline,” she said. “So it is going to get a little bit worse before it starts getting better.”
Only 56% of Mecklenburg County residents are at least partially vaccinated, N.C. DHHS reported Friday — while slightly higher than the state’s average, North Carolina’s vaccination rate is trailing the average nationwide.
Latest COVID-19 data
A high concentration of cases recently was reported in uptown Charlotte ZIP code 28202, according to the latest public health data. More than 1 in 100 residents there have tested positive in the last two weeks.
The case rate data by ZIP code show only the most recent, or active, infections detected by coronavirus testing. Mecklenburg Public Health typically releases ZIP code-level data weekly and the rate is based on a 14-day average.
ZIP code 28204, which includes Cherry and Elizabeth neighborhoods and previously had the highest case rate in Mecklenburg County, follows closely with a case rate of about 1 of every 100 residents.
Other ZIP codes with high case rate concentrations are 28213 (south of University City, including Hidden Valley and neighborhoods along Old Concord Road), 28203 (South End and parts of Dilworth), and 28214 (west Charlotte, on border with Gaston County). All have logged case rates above 900, which is less than 1% of residents in those areas over two weeks.
The lowest concentration of COVID case rates is again in ZIP code 28036, which represents Davidson, followed by south Mecklenburg ZIP codes 28210, which represents neighborhoods along Park Road, and 28270, which is near Matthews.
The biggest case rate increases, compared to last week, were in ZIP codes 28202, 28078 (Huntersville), 28031 (Cornelius) and 28262 (University).
ZIP codes 28273 (on the South Carolina border near Carowinds), 28206 (east of Uptown along North Graham Street), 28270 and 28203 (South End and parts of Dilworth) saw the biggest drops — though all had marginal drops, with case rates decreasing less than 100 points.
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 Aug. 12 and Aug. 25.
Below 500 cases per 100,000 residents:
- 28036: 327.4
- 28210: 478.2
- 28270: 492.9
Case rates between 500-700:
28207: 501.1
28226: 535.7
28105: 561.9
28277: 565.3
28217: 574.5
28212: 607.1
28211: 607.9
28273: 624.1
28134: 696.8
Between 700-900:
28209: 706.7
28205: 722.7
28269: 729.1
28208: 764.4
28278: 795.4
28227: 805.0
28206: 813.9
28262: 817.4
28215: 835.3
28031: 837.1
28078: 883.2
28216: 898.3
Above 900:
28214: 906.1
28203: 917.4
28213: 927.6
28204: 1,038.3
28202: 1,273.4
Hannah Smoot and Gavin Off contributed to this report.
