Where are Horry County’s highest rates of new COVID cases? Check your ZIP code data
Horry County continues to add thousands of new COVID-19 cases each week, showing a disparity in the incidence rate of infections based on ZIP code.
In the week of Sept. 12 through Sept. 19, the county added 2,077 new cases, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). That’s down from 2,203 new cases the week before.
Horry County’s epicenters for new infections have shifted in the last week as well, with some ZIP codes reporting an incidence rate of around eight cases per 1,000 residents while others record an incidence rate as low as two cases per 1,000 residents, DHEC data shows. Vaccination rates across the county vary widely, a potential reason for a higher spread in some areas as doctors and public health professionals push for a higher rate of immunization.
DHEC routinely reports the number of cases in each ZIP code, and that number is compared to the overall population of that ZIP code to calculate the incidence rate.
Here’s the breakdown of new COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in Horry County for the week of Sept. 12-19
1. 29544 - Galivants Ferry area
With 47 new cases, the Galivants Ferry area had the highest incidence rate of around 8.4 new cases per 1,000 residents. That’s a slight increase from last week, when the 29544 ZIP code reported an incidence rate of 8.2 cases per 1,000 residents. Last week, the ZIP code ranked fifth in the county.
2. 29579 - Carolina Forest area
At 357 cases, the 29579 ZIP code reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases during the week of Sept. 12 to Sept. 19. The Carolina Forest area of Myrtle Beach reported an incidence rate of around 8.3 cases per 1,000 residents, just slightly below the Galivants Ferry ZIP code. It’s a small improvement from last week, when the 29575 ZIP code added around 8.6 cases per 1,000 residents.
3. 29527 - Conway, Bucksport and Bucksville area
The 29527 ZIP code added 220 new cases in the referenced time period, which calculates to an incidence rate of just below 8.3 cases per 1,000 residents, DHEC data shows.
4. 29511 - Aynor area
The Aynor area of Horry County added 43 new cases to its total coronavirus count last week. The latest incidence rate was around 7.9 cases per 1,000 residents, cracking the top five ZIP codes with the highest incidence rates. The 29511 ZIP code ranks fourth in the county for the second week in a row.
5. 29569 - Loris area
The Loris area recorded around 6.88 cases per 1,000 residents in the time period in question, DHEC data shows. The area ranked second in the county during the last count, adding around 8.8 cases per 1,000 residents.
6. 29526 - Conway and Red Hill area
Falling just below the 29569 ZIP Code, the 29526 ZIP code added around 6.84 cases per 1,000 residents from Sept. 12 to Sept 19. With 330 new cases in that time period, the ZIP code reported 13 fewer cases this week than last week.
7. 29577 - Myrtle Beach area
The 29577 ZIP code logged an incidence rate of around 5.9 new cases per 1,000 residents with a total of 191 new cases, according to data from DHEC. The area ranked 8th in the last analysis of incidence rates in the county with around 6.2 cases per 1,000 residents.
8. 29588 - Socastee and Forestbrook area
One of the county’s largest ZIP codes by population, the Socastee and Forestbrook area added 267 new cases in the last week, bringing its incidence rate to around 5.5 cases per 1,000 residents.
9. 29566 - Little River area
The Little River area added 89 cases to its total count last week, down from 93 new cases during the previous analysis. The incidence rate was around 5 cases per 1,000 residents.
10. 29575 - Surfside Beach and Garden City area
The southern end of coastal Horry County reported an incidence rate of around 4.8 new cases per 1,000 residents.
11. 29582 - North Myrtle Beach area
The North Myrtle Beach ZIP code of 29582 added 79 cases to its count, meaning the most recent incidence rate was around 4.7 cases per 1,000 residents. The North Myrtle Beach area has consistently kept new case counts relatively low during the most recent surge, with an incidence rate of around 3.8 cases per 1,000 residents during the last count.
12. 29568 - Longs area
In the 29568 ZIP code, an incidence rate of around 3.07 cases per 1,000 residents was recorded during the second week of September. The area added 49 new cases to its count, according to DHEC.
13. 29572 - Myrtle Beach area
One of the two main ZIP codes that make up Myrtle Beach, 29572 added 28 cases to its count last week, coming out to an incidence rate of around 2.89 cases per 1,000 residents. After the last analysis, the incidence rate was around 5 cases per 1,000 residents.
14. 29576 - Murrells Inlet and Garden City area
Murrells Inlet and Garden City have consistently reported one of the lowest incidence rates in the county. This week, the 29576 ZIP code repoted an incidence rate of around 2.84 cases per 1,000 residents.
15. 29581 - Nichols and Ketchuptown area
The 29581 ZIP code saw an incidence rate of around 2.4 cases per 1,000 residents in the week of Sept. 12 through Sept. 19. That’s a dramatic drop from the last analysis, when the area recorded around 9 cases per 1,000 residents.
16. 29545 - Green Sea area
The Green Sea ZIP code of 29545 reported fewer than five cases in the time period, and DHEC doesn’t report the exact number of cases when it falls below five. The incidence rate is unclear as a result, but it’s 2.4 cases per 1,000 residents at the highest.
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
