KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — After some debate between county officials and health officers, Kalamazoo County is now releasing coronavirus data by zip code.
City Commissioner Erin Knott and County Board Chair Julie Rogers have been working together asking officials at the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department to start providing information on the viral COVID-19 “hot spots” in the area to see whether the deadly virus can be isolated geographically.
During a virtual meeting with county commissioners, Dr. William Nettleton argued that the information is not very helpful because it does not represent where the resident contracted the virus, it just shows where they live.
“It’s a false conclusion for folks to make if they are using a graphical representation to say, ‘I just won’t go to this part of the county or this zip code to avoid getting sick,’ that is a false conclusion,” Nettleton said. “We know that there is widespread community transmission throughout Kalamazoo County. Even if a zip code were to have zero cases or a low number, we know that transmission can occur.”
But about a week later the department decided to release this information. On Twitter, Rogers said, “I’ve been advocating for this information for a while. This map does not necessarily reflect where the disease is being contracted; it may help with the allocation of resources.”
According to the health department’s website, the map represents the number of laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 by self-reported, residential address within a Kalamazoo County zip code.
In addition, multiple coronavirus cases within congregate living settings, such as nursing homes, “can lead to the appearance of more cases being distributed over a larger area when mapped by zip code residential address.”
Health officials stressed the importance that a low case count in a certain zip code should also not be mistaken for a decreased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and that the virus knows no borders.
The latest county numbers based on zip code can be found here.
