Tampa Bay continues to report sharp rise in COVID-19 cases

The Tampa Bay region continues to report a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, leading more people to seek a vaccine — according to the weekly numbers released by the state.

According to the Florida Department of Health’s weekly report released Friday, Hillsborough County reported an 18.1% average positivity rate in the last week, which covers July 16 through July 22. That’s substantially higher than last week’s 13.7%.

The county also saw 5,168 new cases of COVID-19, contributing to the now 155,741 cases the county has seen since the start of the pandemic. The latest caseload is also up from last week, where the county reported 2,918 cases.

In neighboring Pinellas County, cases have doubled since the last report. Pinellas reported 2,678 new cases of COVID-19, double from the 1,365 cases recorded in last week’s report. Since the start of the pandemic, the county has seen 85,554 cases of COVID-19.

Pinellas County also reported a positivity rate of 14.1% on average last week, a stark rise from the prior week’s 9.2% positivity rate.

Pasco County saw 1,636 new cases of COVID-19 over the week. That’s nearly double the prior week’s caseload, which was 885, according to the report. The county also saw an 18.5% average positivity rate, up from 13.2% reported the week prior.

Pasco has seen 46,341 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

As far as vaccinations, more people seem to be getting a shot in Hillsborough County compared to the week prior — 8,918 people got vaccinated this week, compared to 7,002 who received a vaccine the week before.

About 55% of those eligible to receive a vaccine have now gotten one in Hillsborough County. That eligibility accounts for the county’s 12 years and older population. So far, 711,085 people have been vaccinated in the county.

In Pinellas, the vaccination rate is slightly higher, with 58% of the vaccine-eligible population getting inoculated. In the last week, 5,054 people got a shot, making for 518,437 vaccinated individuals in the county so far. That’s also up from the prior week’s 3,951 vaccinations.

In Pasco County, 55% of those eligible have received a shot, or 264,420 people. The county also reported 2,974 new vaccinations in the last week, slightly more than 2,216 in the week before.