Residents scramble to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as Tampa Bay sees 20% positivity rate

Tampa Bay is continuing to see a rise in COVID-19 cases, and it seems the recent high caseloads are prompting more vaccinations in the area, according to the latest weekly data from the Florida Department of Health.

Hillsborough County saw slightly less than double its number of weekly vaccinations in the latest report, which covers Friday, July 23 through Thursday, July 29. In that time, the county reported 14,523 new vaccinations. In the week prior, 8,918 people got vaccinated.

With the wave of new vaccinations, 57% of those eligible to receive a vaccine have now received one in Hillsborough. That eligibility accounts for the county’s 12 years and older population. So far, 728,413 people have been vaccinated in the county.

The substantial increase in vaccinations may be in response to the growing number of cases the county has seen in the past couple weeks. And, those case numbers don’t look like they will be coming down anytime soon.

In the last week, the county saw 7,124 new COVID-19 cases, and a positivity rate of 20.5% — one of the highest rates the county has reported since last year’s outbreak. In comparison, Hillsborough reported an 18.1% average positivity rate the week prior along with 5,168 new cases of COVID-19.

The new numbers contribute to the now 162,939 cases the county has seen since the start of the pandemic.

In neighboring Pinellas County, cases have nearly doubled since the last report. Pinellas reported 4,164 new cases of COVID-19, up from the 2,678 cases recorded in last week’s report. Since the start of the pandemic, the county has seen 89,699 cases of COVID-19.

Pinellas County also reported a positivity rate of 16.7% on average last week, a rise from the prior week’s 14.1% positivity rate.

The county is also seeing more enthusiasm for the vaccine. In the last week, 8,423 people received a vaccination — that’s up from the prior week’s 5,054 vaccinations. Now, 59% of the vaccine-eligible population has been inoculated in the county.

So far, 528,480 people have received a shot in Pinellas County.

Pasco County saw 2,883 new cases of COVID-19 over the week, close to double the prior week’s caseload, which was 1,636, according to the report. The county also saw an 22.5% average positivity rate, up from 18.5% reported the week prior.

Pasco has seen 49,233 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

As far as vaccinations, Pasco is also following the rising trend. In Pasco County, 57% of those eligible have received a shot, or 270,605 people. The county also reported 5,210 new vaccinations in the last week, up from only 2,974 the week before.