Janelle Irwin Taylor
For the second time in four days, Hillsborough County’s percent of new COVID-19 tests coming back positive were higher than 10%, according to Florida Department of Health data released Monday.
The data shows 10.52% of the 6,937 tests received Sunday were positive for the COVID-19 virus.
In all the county recorded 822 new cases of COVID-19 from Sunday morning to Monday morning, for a total of 70,849 cases since the onset of the pandemic in March.
Hillsborough County is grappling with a steadily increasing outbreak with the seven-day average for positive tests now sitting just under 10% at 9.75%. The 14-day average is 9.18%, which shows more tests are continuing to come back positive as the days wear on.
Pinellas County had been seeing a similar trend, though at a slower, and lower, rate than neighboring Hillsborough County. There, the positivity rate for Sunday was just 7.36% with the seven-day average now falling just slightly below the 14-day average, a sign that, if continued, could signal optimism that the steady growth seen over the past couple of weeks has leveled off. The seven-day average is now 7.35%, down by just a hair from the 7.37% 14-day average.
Still, Pinellas County continues to see new cases on a daily basis ranging from a low of 400 to as many as more than 800 in recent weeks. From Sunday morning to Monday morning, the county tallied 427 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county’s pandemic-wide total to 40,987.
Pinellas County confirmed two new deaths associated with the virus, for a new death toll of 999. The county will likely surpass 1,000 deaths in Tuesday’s report, just days after Hillsborough County also crossed that threshold.
Hillsborough County confirmed eight new deaths Sunday for a total of 1,034.
Both counties tallied eight new hospitalizations for patients suffering from the novel coronavirus.
