PHOENIX — When COVID-19 is surging, Maricopa County’s community spread dashboard can be deceiving.
The dashboard, typically updated every Thursday, shows per capita case rates by city, school district, or zip code.
During times of high case numbers, the map is a sea of red. The county does make this data available to download, and according to an ABC15 analysis, COVID-19 case rates are higher in the southern portion of the county.
Breaking the community data down by school districts, rates are generally higher in neighborhoods south of Northern Avenue.
The communities served by Avondale Elementary School District have the highest number, with 2,927 cases per capita this week and a 44% positivity rate. This is a 500% increase from the week prior.
Queen Creek Unified School District has the next highest per capita case number at 2,789 and a 42% positivity rate.
The area of the county with the fastest growth of COVID-19 is the communities inside the Gila Bend Unified School District.
COVID-19 rates increased by 1,800%, from 79 cases per capita in the last week of December to 797 this week. The neighborhoods within Riverside Elementary School District saw an 800% growth, followed by Higley Unified at 750%.
The Maricopa County community spread dashboard does not reflect the number of cases in individual schools, but rather the neighborhoods served by the district. COVID-19 data for schools can normally be found on the individual school district’s website.
Check out Maricopa County’s community spread dashboard here.