Today (Aug. 25) we expanded the data on our COVID-19 in Arkansas page with the addition of case counts and rates by Arkansas ZIP code.
A new map and table show cumulative and active numbers of positive COVID-19 cases in Arkansas ZIP codes as of Aug. 17, based on data from the Arkansas Department of Health. Also provided are rates of cumulative and active cases per 10,000 people who live in the ZIP codes. The new data complement data we have already been publishing on COVID-19 case counts and rates by community and school district.
“This new information provides one more lens into Arkansas’s COVID-19 outbreak at the local level,” said ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson. “One thing it shows is that rates of infection vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood: Some ZIP codes have fewer than 10 active cases per 10,000 residents, while some have more than 100 cases per 10,000 residents.”
The counts do not include cases among incarcerated populations. Counts for ZIP codes with fewer than 10 cumulative or active cases are not reported. Case counts include both children and adults.
Active case status is designated by the Arkansas Department of Health and is defined as the 14-day period after either a positive COVID-19 test result or onset of COVID symptoms. For COVID-19-positive individuals who have been admitted to the hospital, the period is 21 days.
ZIP code-level rates of positive COVID-19 cases are based on the number of active or cumulative cases in ZIP codes and the total population reported for those ZIP codes. ZIP codes are designated by the U.S. Postal Service, and ZIP code population estimates are from the U.S. Census Bureau 2018 American Communities Survey.
Last week, we released additional data per school district, with new cases among residents of each district displayed as the rate of new cases over the past 14 days per 10,000 people who live in the district. To show trends over time, we also display 14-day rates from the previous three weeks.
