Kelly Hayes
Hillsborough County confirmed 553 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, according to Florida Department of Health data released Wednesday.
The latest daily caseload is the county’s highest single-day report in the last two weeks — spiking from Monday’s 358 cases and Sunday’s mere 208.
The county also reported five new deaths in the latest dataset, and two additional hospitalizations. Since the start of the pandemic, Hillsborough has confirmed 110,086 cases, and 1,470 deaths.
The county reported a positivity rate of 8.05% on Tuesday, slightly lower than Monday’s 8.34%; however, both days show a gradually increasing rate overall, up from about 7.5% in the past two weeks.
Pinellas County also reported more cases Tuesday, confirming 248 new cases of COVID-19. The county has varied between daily case numbers, ranging from 150 to 350 cases a day in the past two weeks. Since the start of the pandemic, Pinellas has recorded 65,623 cases.
The latest report showed two new deaths from the virus, and 11 additional hospitalizations. The virus has led to 1,432 deaths in the county.
Pinellas reported a low positivity rate on Tuesday at 5.5%, the lowest it’s been in a week. The past few days reported rates were 6-7%.
The Tampa Bay area has made strides in vaccination efforts.
So far, Hillsborough County has vaccinated 136,230 individuals, including 71,629 who have completed the two-shot series. In Pinellas County, 135,422 individuals have been vaccinated, 70,760 of whom have received a second dose.
Amid vaccination efforts, Tampa has recently faced challenges in trying to oversee the Mayor’s mask mandate, especially at bars and clubs.
On Monday, several bar owners had to go before the Tampa City Council to make their case against losing their liquor permits, a punishment that has been threatened by the city for establishments not complying with mitigation ordinances.
But, there’s good news. Tampa Family Health Centers will be one of 250 health centers across the country to receive vaccines through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program, administering vaccines to critical areas of need.
