Kelly Hayes
Hillsborough County hit a landmark in vaccine distribution on Thursday, having reached 200,000 people vaccinated against COVID-19.
The county has vaccinated 202,196 individuals, including 102,145 who have completed the vaccine series, according to the latest state vaccination data. Those who have finished vaccinations include 99,239 who have received a second dose of a two-dose series, and 2,906 who have received the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
On Wednesday alone, Hillsborough County vaccinated 4,104 individuals.
Pinellas County is trailing behind, having vaccinated 185,535 people, including 96,748 who are completely vaccinated. That includes 95,308 individuals who received a second-dose of the two-shot series, and 1,440 individuals who received the one-shot vaccine.
Pinellas vaccinated 4,264 people on Wednesday.
Hillsborough County confirmed 304 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to Florida Department of Health data released Thursday. Since the start of the pandemic, the county has reported 114,724 cases of COVID-19, and 1,548 ensuing deaths.
The county reported three new deaths in the most recent dataset, as well as eight additional hospitalizations.
The positivity rate for Hillsborough County has been an important indicator in how the county is faring — and, it’s been doing well. The county saw a positivity rate of 5.58% on Wednesday, and has maintained a rate around 6% in the past week. Importantly, the county has kept its rate under 10% for more than two weeks now.
Although Pinellas County is behind Hillsborough in vaccinations, it continues to report lower daily case numbers than its neighbor.
Pinellas confirmed 228 new cases on Wednesday, an increase over the past couple of days when reports showed about 130 new cases.
The county recorded no new deaths in the latest report, but saw seven additional hospitalizations. Since the start of the pandemic, Pinellas has recorded 68,494 cases, and 1,481 deaths.
Pinellas County’s positivity rate is also on the lower end, teetering around 5% the past week and hitting 4.2% on Wednesday.
