Kelly Hayes
Hillsborough County reported its highest weekly COVID-19 caseload since September in the week leading up to Christmas, according to the latest Florida Department of Health weekly report.
The county reported 5,133 new cases of COVID-19 in the week of Dec. 17 through Dec. 23. By comparison, in the week prior, the county reported 1,363 new cases of COVID-19, which in itself was a slight trend upward.
The new data shows the highest caseload the county has seen since the end of the summer surge in mid-September, when the county reported 5,442 weekly cases in a Sept. 17 report.
Since the start of the pandemic, Hillsborough County has reported 253,260 cases of COVID-19.
And that’s not the only concerning sign that cases are on the rise. Hillsborough County also reported a 10.8% positivity rate last week, a leap from the prior week’s 4.3%. It’s also the first time since the summer surge the county has hit a positivity rate of 10%, which is considered the benchmark number for community spread.
The good news: Hillsborough County residents are continuing to get vaccinated. The county recorded 7,646 new vaccinations in the last week, up from the week prior, which saw 6,259 new vaccinations. The new report brings the total number of vaccinated Hillsborough County residents to 934,194, or 66%.
The county’s vaccination rate is slightly lower than the percentage of people vaccinated statewide, which sits at 71%, or 14,772,805 individuals, according to the latest report.
While neighboring Pinellas County had slightly lower numbers, the county still more than tripled its previous weekly caseload in the latest report. The coastal county confirmed 1,949 new cases of COVID-19 last week, a jump from the 573 cases it reported the week prior.
That number is also accompanied by a rising positivity rate, which came in at 7.2% last week, up from just 2.8% the week before.
The county has confirmed 139,153 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Similar to Hillsborough County, Pinellas County is also seeing more people getting vaccinated. The report showed 4,576 people in Pinellas County got vaccinated within the last week, compared to 3,578 the week prior.
With the addition of the newly vaccinated group, 635,394 people, or 67%, of Pinellas County residents have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Pasco County saw the lowest increase, reporting 972 weekly cases, which is slightly more than double the 412 cases reported the week prior.
The county’s positivity rate reached 7.8% this past week, while it reported a 4.1% rate the week before. So far, Pasco County has recorded 81,832 cases of COVID-19.
People are also still getting vaccinated at high rates in Pasco, with 2,582 individuals getting the shot in the week leading up to Christmas. The county has a vaccination rate of 65%, accounting for 338,502 people.
Cases will likely continue to surge in the Tampa Bay area as residents celebrate the holidays and the omicron variant continues to surge.
