COVID cases in Polk County is seeing increase again

Polk County has experienced a rise in new COVID-19 infections for the first time in 11 weeks.

The Florida Department of Health reported 382 new weekly cases on Friday, an increase of 15% from the previous week’s report. Polk County had seen cases decline for the previous 10 weeks.

The weekly total equates to 54.6 new infections a day.

The county’s positivity rate rose from 2.8% to 3.2%, also breaking a long period of continuous decline. The rate, reflecting positive results on tests conducted for Polk County residents, remains well below the Department of Health’s 10% target threshold.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lowered the risk of COVID-19 transmission in Polk County to “moderate,” the first time the county has been at such a low level since before the delta variant emerged in June.

The agency had rated Polk County transmission level as “substantial” in recent weeks. The rate remained “high” for much of the summer as the delta variant drove a spike in infections.

In another worrying sign, the CDC reported 88 new COVID-related hospital admissions in Polk County for the week ending Thursday. That reflected an increase of 15 from the previous week.

Weekly vaccinations in Polk County rose for the first time in several weeks. The Department of Health reported that 3,038 doses were dispensed, a jump of nearly 107% from a week earlier.