PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — As the state continues to see a coronavirus case positivity rate in the teens, one of its larger counties has met a benchmark.
As of July 25, Pinellas County is reporting a 4.9 percent COVID-19 case positivity rate, according to the Florida Department of Health's county-by-county coronavirus report.
The dip below 5 percent comes after data showed the county saw a fluctuating drop from a 10.2 percent positivity rate reported on July 13.
Since the coronavirus pandemic began Pinellas County has tested 151,495 residents, according to data reported on the county's COVID-19 tracking site.
But, the contrast in the states 11.06 and the county's 4.9 positivity rate, as of July 25, need to take demographics into consideration.
State data, reported by the DOH, is driven by daily reporting in regards to Floridians testing positive across the state, while Pinellas County’s data is based on its roughly 974,996 residents.
St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman is proud of the progress issuing this message to residents on Twitter:
“Let's put our foot on the gas, not let up. Wear a mask when near others. Avoid crowding. Wash hands. Be smart.”
According to Kriseman, the county's two week rolling average has dropped to 7.9 percent.
In the past Kriseman has contributed the decline in the county’s positivity rate to the area’s mask mandate.
Pinellas enacted a mandatory face mask order last month, effective June 24. The order requires everyone to wear a face covering inside most public buildings.
Since the Florida Department of Health began tracking coronavirus data in March, Pinellas County has seen 15,034 confirmed cases in residents and 373 deaths.
On a wider state scale new data released by the Florida Department of Health shows the state recorded another 9,344 new cases of COVID-19 and 77 deaths on July 25. Marking the first time in five days Florida has reported fewer than 100 deaths a day and that the state has dipped below 10,000 reported coronavirus cases since July 21.
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