New COVID-19 cases, positivity rate on the rise in Polk County

Gary White, The Ledger
·2 min read

New infections of COVID-19 and the positivity rate continue to rise in Polk County.

The county registered 2,116 new infections in a bi-weekly report issued Friday by the Florida Department of Health. That represented an increase of 20.4% from the previous report.

Previously: Polk rates high for COVID-19 prevalence; CDC recommends indoor masking

Also: Polk County's COVID-19 positivity rate jumps to 11.9%; highest level since early February

The update, based on figures from May 27 to June 2, listed the positivity rate for Polk County at 14.8%, an increase from 12.9% two weeks earlier. The figures reflect positive results of new testing for COVID-19 in the county.

Polk County registered 2,116 new infections in a bi-weekly report issued Friday by the Florida Department of Health. That represented an increase of 20.4% from the previous report.
Polk County registered 2,116 new infections in a bi-weekly report issued Friday by the Florida Department of Health. That represented an increase of 20.4% from the previous report.

Before the May 20 report, Polk County had not seen a positivity rate above 10% since early February.

The state report listed 294 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in Polk County.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now includes Polk among 23 Florida counties with a high rate of community prevalence of COVID-19. CDC guidelines say that residents and visitors in those counties should wear masks while in public indoor spaces.

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Vaccinations for COVID continue to wane in Polk County and statewide, according to Friday’s Department of Health update. The agency reported 139 new vaccinations for Polk during the previous week, a decline of 45.5% from the previous report.

Among eligible Polk County residents age 5 and older, 61.2% are fully vaccinated, the CDC reports.

The CDC’s COVID Tracker listed 12.6 new hospital admissions per 100,000 residents for previous week. The chart indicated that 3.1% of staffed, in-person hospital beds were being used by patients positive for COVID-19.

The Department of Health disclosed 71,797 new infections statewide in Friday’s update, an increase of 19.3% from the previous report. The testing positivity rate for the state was 16.2%, a rise from 13.4%.

The department revealed another 260 COVID-related deaths. The statewide total for the pandemic now stands at 74,590.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: New COVID cases, testing positivity rise in Polk County