FLORIDA, USA — COVID-19 cases are rising by the week with data showing an increased presence of the virus in several Florida counties and a statewide increase in positive cases over last week.
The latest weekly data from the Florida Department of Health showed a 29.4 percent increase (1,144 new cases) in Hillsborough County for the week of July 28 through Aug. 3.
As a whole, Florida COVID cases rose by 21 percent that week with 15,170 new cases reported.
With testing levels still relatively low statewide, new wastewater surveillance data has proved invaluable for tracking the increasing presence of the virus in various Florida counties.
According to recent data from BioBot, COVID levels in Pinellas County's water nearly tripled from the beginning of July to the end. Meanwhile, Monroe County saw one of the biggest spikes in COVID levels, going from a concentration of 52 copies of the virus per mL of wastewater in mid-July to a staggering 2,738 copies in the first week of August.
According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, COVID hospitalizations increased nationwide by about 12.5 percent with 9,056 hospitalizations reported nationwide at the end of July. However, such cases remain relatively low nationwide.
COVID deaths are also staying low with 32 deaths reported in Florida over the previous week and national levels staying low as exposure to the virus and vaccinations appear to be keeping immunity holding steady.
The FDA is expecting a COVID-19 booster to be approved by the fall which would protect against a strain of the virus related to the Omicron variant.