Kelly Hayes
Hillsborough County has confirmed 1,137 new cases of coronavirus — doubling Tuesday’s numbers — according to a Wednesday report from the Florida Department of Health.
Wednesday’s report marks a spike in the county’s caseload since the start of the new year, and in the last two weeks, is only topped by last Thursday, which saw 1,546 new cases. Besides Thursday, the county has reported around 500 new cases daily across the two week period.
Hillsborough also added seven new hospitalizations and nine deaths since the previous report, bringing its death toll to 1,102. The latest report brings the county’s total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 82,257.
Neighboring Pinellas County saw 539 more cases confirmed on Tuesday, and 20 new COVID-19 deaths and 23 new hospitalizations since the last report on Tuesday. Since the start of the pandemic, Pinellas has reported 1,106 deaths, and 48,273 cases.
For the first time in months, Pinellas County now has confirmed more deaths that in Hillsborough despite having tens of thousands fewer total cases.
Both counties are continuing to see troubling trends in the rate of positive tests returned.
Hillsborough saw an alarming daily positivity rate at 15.75% — the highest since the Dec. 28 outlier at 32.89%. For reference, in the past week, the positivity rate has averaged around 11% to 13%, and just yesterday, it reported a 12.27% positivity rate.
Pinellas reported a 11.61% positivity rate — above 10%, a threshold that marks wide community spread, but lower than Monday’s 12.27%.
As far as vaccinations, Hillsborough County has administered 18,612 vaccines, including 762 individuals who have received the complete series. Pinellas has vaccinated 18,024 people, completing doses for 576 individuals.
