Hazleton’s 18201 ZIP code posts 916 new COVID-19 cases in one week

In a week when Luzerne County overall saw more than 5,500 new cases of COVID-19, the Hazleton ZIP code of 18201 made up the biggest chunk of the increase, reporting 916 positive test results from Jan. 7 through Friday. It was the highest number of cases among the 41 codes all or partially in Luzerne County tracked by the Times Leader.

The second highest number of cases was reported for the Wilkes-Barre code of 18702, with 714, while third highest was in the Kingston code of 18704, though at 447 it was less than half the cases reported in the Hazleton code. Those three codes have regularly been at or near the top of the list since the state started releasing ZIP code data.

Thirteen codes reported more than 100 cases, while only three of the remaining codes had fewer than 10.

A data anomaly appeared in this week’s numbers, with 34 of the 41 codes reporting a decline in the number of “not a case,” or negative tests. Three codes saw the negative cases drop by more than 100. A spokesperson for the state Department of Health explained this likely stems from people getting tested multiple times, because that person is only counted for the given date the data is compiled, and can switch categories if the test results change.

“When we report the negative and positive case results, they represent an individual’s status to date. Therefore, one individual will only be accounted for once. If a person has always tested negative, they will be included as a “negative.” However, once they test positive, even if they previously tested negative, they will be moved from being counted as a “negative” and counted as a case instead.

“As more people are tested multiple times, keeping track of the tested people who have never had a positive test has become much less useful.”

While the Times Leader has tracked both positive and negative numbers most weeks, only the new positives have been posted in the weekly chart and reported in the accompanying story.