COVID cases rise in Polk County as positivity dips
New COVID-19 infections in Polk County rose slightly while the positivity rate dipped, according to a biweekly update released late Friday by the Florida Department of Health.
The agency registered 511 new cases for Polk County in the period of Oct. 28 through Nov. 3, signaling an increase of 5.1% from the prior report. The positivity rate on testing slipped to 7.8%, down from 8.8% two weeks earlier.
The rate had been falling steadily since August before bumping back up in the previous report. The positivity rate spiked above 20% in June and remained there into August before slipping below 10% in September.
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The rate is based on testing reported to the Department of Health and doesn’t include presumed infections found through home testing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated Polk County as low for community levels of COVID-19 on Friday. Polk had been in the high category for several weeks in late summer and had moved into the medium category in September.
Only three of Florida’s 67 counties were still listed as having medium community levels as of Friday: Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto. All of the others were categorized as low.
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The agency’s COVID Tracker website reported fewer than 10 COVID-related deaths for Polk County in the seven-day period ending Wednesday. Deaths are a lagging indicator, and there can be long delays in having deaths officially recorded.
The Florida Department of Health registered 365 new deaths in Friday’s report. That brought the state’s cumulative death toll to 82,541. The state agency does not disclose figures for deaths by county of residence.
Hospitals in Polk County admitted an estimated 35 patients with confirmed infections in the week ending Tuesday, according to the CDC. That marked a decline of 10.9% from the previous week. Patients with COVID occupied 1.9% of staffed beds and 2.5% of beds in intensive-care units, the CDC reported.
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Among Polk County residents ages 5 and older, 63% have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, according to the Department of Health’s update.
The CDC dashboard shows 72.5% of eligible Polk County as having received at least a first vaccine dose, with 62.5% completing a primary series. The agency identifies 41.5% as having received a first booster dose.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County COVID-19 infections rise as positivity dips: State report
