Janelle Irwin Taylor
Hillsborough and Pinellas counties each reported slow upticks in new coronavirus cases Monday, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Hillsborough County added six new cases since Monday morning and only 25 over two days for a total now of 977 cases. That’s a significant slowdown from last week when the county was trending to exceed 1,000 cases by Sunday or Monday.
Pinellas is also slowing down, adding just seven since Monday morning and 20 from two days ago.
Hillsborough still ranks fifth in the state in total number of coronavirus cases, with Pinellas trailing at No. 8
Tampa remains at No. 8 for total number of cases among cities at 639. The only non-South Florida city with more cases is Orlando with 896.
St. Petersburg also remains the epicenter of the virus in Pinellas County with 168 cases.
Seminole has seen a significant jump in the number of its cases as the Freedom Square longterm care facility grapples with a major outbreak on its campus. The total number of Seminole cases is up to 71. As many as 62 of those cases could be from that facility as that’s the number of positive cases so far to emerge among residents and staff members.
Testing in Pinellas continues to lag behind Hillsborough with 10,682 tests compared to 15,773. Both counties have a 6% positive rate.
Hillsborough is consistently testing more on a daily basis than Pinellas. Less than 100 tests were reported since Monday in Pinellas compared to about 200 in Hillsborough.
From Sunday to Monday Hillsborough had 477 tests returned while Pinellas had just 215.
The disparity in testing could mean Pinellas County’s outbreak is not being accurately portrayed, though neither county is satisfied with the overall testing being conducted.
Hillsborough County’s death toll remains unchanged at 19. No deaths have been reported in the county since April 16, a 57 year-old man who had contact with a known case. So far 19 people have died of the virus in Hillsborough County.
Pinellas County recorded one additional death, bringing its total to 17. A 96 year-old woman is the latest to die. It’s unclear whether she is one of the three deaths associated with the Freedom Square outbreak. An inquiry to the facility was not immediately answered Tuesday.
