Where in Horry County is coronavirus spreading most? Check cases in your zip code
As coronavirus cases continue to spike in Horry County, the largest jumps appear to be in areas encompassing Carolina Forest and Conway, but further analysis shows the spread more directly impacting areas along the coast and North Myrtle Beach.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases have more than quadrupled since the beginning of June in the county, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, which has since labeled the Myrtle Beach area a hot spot for the virus.
DHEC data also breaks down cases by zip codes, and a Sun News analysis found that, based on population, the zip code that has had the largest spike during the past week is 29572, which includes a stretch of Myrtle Beach coastline bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway from 62nd Avenue North to 48th Avenue South.
Based on its population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, the 29572 zip code saw an increase in confirmed cases of about 481 per 100,000 residents June 16-22, DHEC data shows.
That per capita increase is followed closely by zip codes 29566 — which encompasses Little River and parts of North Myrtle Beach — and 29582 — which encompasses the stretch of coastline directly north of 29572 up to the North Carolina border. Those zip codes have seen increases of about 474 and 451 cases per 100,000 residents, respectively, during the past week.
The largest jumps in new case numbers during the past week have been within 29579 (145), 29526 (135) and 29577 (102), according to DHEC data, but those areas, which include Carolina Forest, Conway and The Market Common in Myrtle Beach, are also among the most populous in the county.
Local testing numbers
The increase in case numbers was expected as South Carolina officials have placed an emphasis on increased testing availability, but the increase in testing was expected to decrease the percentage of those testing positive, and the opposite has happened statewide.
That percentage has been steadily increasing during the past few weeks, including a high of 17.4 percent for people tested Monday, according to DHEC.
The percent positive on a county level is unknown because DHEC does not track testing by county, though some local health groups have provided The Sun News with their own testing data.
Tidelands Health has tested and received results for 2,788 people June 8-22 with 318 of those testing positive, which would equate to 11.4 percent positive rate, according to data provided by Tidelands spokeswoman Dawn Bryant.
Bryant noted that Tidelands tested about 1,500 more people Friday during a community clinic at Inlet Square Mall, but they haven’t received those results back from DHEC.
Conway Medical Center had a positive testing rate of about 19.5 percent with 173 positives of 887 people tested with results received June 8-25, according to data provided by CMC spokeswoman Allyson Floyd.
McLeod Health spokeswoman Tracey Stanton shared that about 1,150 people have been tested recently at their clinics in Loris and Carolina Forest, but she did not immediately know how many tested positive. A Grand Strand Health spokeswoman did not respond to a request for data.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 11:02 AM.
