Most Charlotte ZIP codes see lower COVID case rates. Did yours? Here’s the map.
Nearly all Mecklenburg County ZIP codes saw a drop in COVID-19 case rates for the first time since June, according to a Charlotte Observer analysis of new data from the county health department.
The countywide average is 618.1 new cases per 100,000 residents, based on positive coronavirus test results from August 26 to September 8. That’s lower than the previous two weeks’ average case rate of 693.8.
The case rate decrease, along with other Mecklenburg County health data, shows modest improvement for the first time since the Delta variant of the coronavirus began spreading locally. Still, the 12% average positivity rate locally is much higher than earlier this summer. And August and September, so far, have seen the worst spread of infections since vaccines became widely available.
Recent data show that over the last two weeks, only two Mecklenburg County ZIP codes — out of 29 — saw increases in case rates, while two saw no changes. The ZIP code analysis uses 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.
For the third week in a row, the county’s highest concentration of COVID case rates by far was in uptown, or ZIP code 28202. The area is reporting a case rate of 1,719.9, or nearly two in every 100 residents for the past two weeks. That’s a jump of nearly 400 points.
It’s one of only two ZIP codes in the county to see an increase over the past two weeks. The other is 28208, which is in west Charlotte, including Enderly Park and neighborhoods along West Boulevard. The ZIP code has the second highest rate in the county.
The lowest concentration of recent COVID-19 cases continues to be in ZIP code 28036, which is Davidson, followed by 28277 (Ballantyne, and neighborhoods between Interstate 485 and Matthews-Pineville Road), 28211 (south Charlotte along Providence Road, including Cotswold and parts of Myers Park), 28207 (neighborhoods in Eastover along Providence and Randolph Roads) and 28270 (south Mecklenburg County, west of Matthews).
ZIP codes 28203 (South End and parts of Dilworth), 28262 (University City), 28031 (Cornelius) and 28078 (Huntersville) saw the biggest drops last week, compared to mid-August.
The two ZIP codes that saw no changes are 28206 (northeast of uptown along North Graham Street) and 28217 (west Charlotte, south of the airport along I-77).
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 Aug. 26 and Sept. 8.
Below 500 cases per 100,000 residents:
28036: 373.3
28277: 416.5
28211:425.9
28207: 448.9
28270: 469.0
28226: 494.1
Case rates between 500-650:
28210: 504.8
28105: 535.5
28217: 543.3
28209: 563.6
28212: 584.8
28273: 586.9
28205: 602.9
28262: 624.4
28269: 626.0
Between 650-800:
28134: 660.6
28031: 711.8
28227: 720.9
28203: 721.8
28078: 722.1
28215: 751.6
28214: 761.0
28206: 781.0
28213: 791.6
28216: 798.8
Above 800:
28278: 811.4
28204: 876.1
28208: 960.8
28202: 1,719.9
Alison Kuznitz and Gavin Off contributed.
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 12:05 PM.
