El Paso County data shows which zip codes have the most COVID-19 cases

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Health Department breaks down which zip codes in El Paso County have the most COVID-19 cases.

There are 11 zip codes reporting more than 100 cases of COVID-19 in their community or have a high rate of cases per 1,000 people. You can see the map by clicking this link and going to page 5 in the dashboard.

The zipcode with the highest number of COVID-19 cases is 80909 near Palmer Park and Circle, with 288 cases and 7.36 per 1,000 residents.

Second, is 80910 near Fountain and Chelton, with 226 cases in the area.

The El Paso County Health Department says communities with higher numbers are expected, but don't always give a full picture of the virus.

"Take a look at the population size of those zip codes. They're more populated. It comes back to that because again these are cumulative cases looking at the total number of cases per zip code may be a true indicative," explains Fadi Youkhana, Applied Epidemiologist with the health department.

Other communities that may not have had many cases, but based on their population have a high rate of infection are residents that live in the 80927 area, South of Woodmen and East of Powers. Only 22 cases have been reported in the area, but there are 5.66 cases per 1,000 people.

Stephen Goodwin, Chief Data Scientific Strategist at the department explains, "it's a rate per person so it's a very important measure for us to look at. It's often a clue for us that we should look closely and understand what's dynamic so cases aren't evenly distributed here."

The cases marked for each zip code aren't necessarily active. The health department started collecting location data when the pandemic first began.

A new tool should be coming soon that allows the pubic to pinpoint specific dates that correlate with zip codes giving them a better idea of when cases in their area are reported.

Cases are updated daily on the El Paso County Health data dashboard.