New Horry County COVID cases decline, but these ZIP codes are still seeing high spread
Horry County continued a downward trend of new COVID-19 cases in the area, but the spread is not created equal across all parts of the county.
The county added 1,053 new cases in the week of Sept. 26 through Oct. 3, a decrease from 1,466 cases last week, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). But some ZIP codes are seeing incidence rates up to around six cases per 1,000 residents, while others are recording numbers below two cases per 1,000 residents.
Throughout the pandemic, the case counts and vaccination rates in Horry County have varied depending on geography, and a Sun News analysis found a relationship between the vaccination rates and incidence rates by ZIP code, though factors other than vaccination status contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
The most recent numbers come as just under 50% of Horry County’s total population has been fully vaccinated, according to data kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contagious delta variant and increasingly popular vaccine requirements have spurred a recent uptick in vaccinations across Horry and the rest of the country, but health experts maintain more people need to get the shot in order to emerge from the worst of the pandemic.
“My stance on vaccinations has not changed one bit,” Richardson told The Sun News in late September. “I do think it is the best weapon we have, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
The incidence rate in each ZIP code is calculated by comparing the number of new cases to the total population in that ZIP code.
Here’s which ZIP codes had the highest incidence rates Sept. 26 to Oct. 3:
1. 29511 - Aynor
For the second week in a row, the 29511 ZIP code recorded the highest incidence rate in the county with around 5.7 cases per 1,000 residents, DHEC data shows. The area is one of the least vaccinated ZIP codes in Horry County, falling below 40% of its total population vaccinated.
2. 29544 - Galivants Ferry
The Galivants Ferry area recorded 25 of the county’s 1,053 cases during this time period, coming out to an incidence rate of around 4.4 cases per 1,000 residents.
3. 29579 - Carolina Forest
The Carolina Forest area of Horry County recorded an incidence rate of around 3.7 cases per 1,000 residents the week of Sept. 26 through Oct. 3, according to DHEC. The 29579 has consistently been in the top three ZIP codes for its incidence rate in the last several weeks.
4. 29566 - Little River
In the 29566 ZIP code, 63 new cases pushed Little River to an incidence rate of 3.6 cases per 1,000 residents. It’s a slight decrease from last week’s incidence rate of 3.7 cases per 1,000 residents.
5. 29526 - Conway and Red Hill
The Conway and Red Hill area fell in the fifth position for its incidence rate with around 3.5 cases per 1,000 residents.
6. 29568 - Longs
Just below the Conway and Red Hill area, the 29568 ZIP code recorded an incidence rate of around 3.4 cases per 1,000 residents. The ZIP code saw a significant jump in its rank after falling in the 13th position last week, when it had an incidence rate of around 2.6 cases per 1,000 residents.
7. 29527 - Conway, Bucksport and Bucksville
The 29527 ZIP code logged an incidence rate of around 3.3 cases per 1,000 residents as it added 88 cases to its total count since the beginning of the pandemic.
8. 29581 - Nichols and Ketchuptown
With around 2.9 cases per 1,000 residents, the 29581 ZIP code falls eighth of Horry County’s 16 ZIP codes. The area has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the county with just over a quarter of its total population vaccinated.
9. 29588 - Socastee and Forestbrook
The county’s most populous ZIP code, 29588 has fallen significantly from last week, when it ranked fourth in the county for its rate of new cases. In the week from Sept. 26 through Oct. 3, the area added 125 cases for an incidence rate of around 2.6 cases per 1,000 residents.
10. 29545 - Green Sea
Green Sea is the county’s most sparsely populated ZIP code, and it’s impossible to know the exact incidence rate this week. DHEC doesn’t record the specific number of cases when it falls below five. In Green Sea during the week of Sept. 26 to Oct. 3, fewer than five cases were recorded, meaning the highest possible incidence rate would have been 2.4 cases per 1,000 residents.
11. 29578 - Murrells Inlet and Garden City
In the 29578 ZIP code, 75 new cases bring the incidence rate to around 2.3 cases per 1,000 residents. The area consistently falls in the lower part of the county for its incidence rate. Just below 50% of the ZIP’s residents are vaccinated, according to DHEC.
12. 29575 Surfside Beach and Garden City
The Surfside Beach and Garden City area added 41 cases to its count in the last week, calculated to an incidence rate of around 2.2 cases per 1,000 residents.
13. 29569 - Loris
An incidence rate of around 2.3 cases per 1,000 residents was recorded in Loris as the area added 37 cases in the last week. It’s a drop from last week, when the area’s incidence rate was around 3.64 cases per 1,000 residents.
14. 29582 - North Myrtle Beach
With one of the county’s highest vaccination rates, North Myrtle Beach also has one of the county’s lowest incidence rates for the week in question with around 2.1 cases per 1,000 residents.
15. 29577 - Myrtle Beach
The two ZIP codes that make up Myrtle Beach proper have the two lowest incidence rates in Horry County during the week of Sept. 26 to Oct. 3. The 29577 ZIP code recorded an incidence rate of 1.9 cases per 1,000 residents.
16. 29572 - Myrtle Beach
The 29572 ZIP code had the lowest incidence rate in Horry County for the second week in a row. The area also has the highest vaccination rate in Horry County with nearly 82% of its population vaccinated.
