Hillsborough’s positive coronavirus tests jump while total test amount stays relatively stagnant

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hillsborough County is fighting a steadily-growing number of positive coronavirus cases despite a relatively stagnant number of first-time testers.

County officials provided an update Monday along with the Hillsborough County Emergency Planning Group, showing a steady range of tests has been distributed over the last few weeks.

Despite the stationary range of tests between 1,600 and 2,120 over the last few days, the number of positive tests has continued to creep upward from 120 on June 11 to 189 on Sunday, June 14. Despite that stationary range of tests, the number of positive tests has continued to creep upward.

The data contradicts both Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump who have both previously said the increase in positive tests has directly correlated with increased testing.

“If we stop testing right now, we’d have very few cases, if any,” Trump said Monday.

“As you’re testing more, you’re going to see more cases and most of the cases are sub-clinical cases,” DeSantis said last week.

As of Tuesday, 4,029 people in Hillsborough County have tested positive. The county has reported 543 hospitalizations and 103 deaths.

More than half the patients in Hillsborough are women, with 20.09 percent of the positive cases between the ages of 25 and 34 years old.

County officials have reported a rolling average of 100 new cases per day, a number that is expected to grow.

“Currently I don’t believe that we certainly need to retreat, but we need to continue to get some more cooperation,” said Dr. Douglas Holt, director of the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough. “It’s not about shutting us down because I just can’t accept that our community won’t pull together and reduce this transmission.”