Hillsborough Coronavirus Update: What You Need To Know

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — One more Hillsborough County resident who tested positive for the coronavirus has died. This brings the number of deaths in Hillsborough County to 20.

Those who have died in Hillsborough County include a:

• 69-year-old male
• 71-year-old female
• 92-year-old female
• 68-year-old female
• 86-year-old female
• 77-year-old male
• 55-year-old male
• 78-year-old male
• 74-year-old male
• 62-year-old male
• 74-year-old male
• 73-year-old male
• 63-year-old male
• 93-year-old female
• 64-year-old female
• 66-year-old male
• 35-year-old female
• 73-year-old male
• 57-year-old male
• 92-year-old female

Hillsborough County has had 982 cases of the coronavirus with 153 people hospitalized. The ages of those who tested positive range from infant to 100. Of those cases, 464 are male and 476 are female.

Click here for more information about this data.

Those who tested positive include:

• 643 in Tampa
• 71 in Riverview
• 51 in Brandon
• 27 in Ruskin
• 23 in Wimauma
• 21 in Valrico
• 18 in Lutz
• 12 in Apollo Beach
• 11 in Sun City Center
• 11 in Plant City
• 11 in Odessa
• 11 in Seffner
• 6 in Temple Terrace
• 5 in Thonotosassa
• 4 in Gibsonton
• 3 in Lithia
• 2 in Dover
• 1 in Westchase
• 1 in Tampa Palms

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County Adds Testing Sites

Hillsborough County is providing coronavirus testing for free at four county locations.

The tests have been provided at Raymond James Stadium for several weeks, and testing has now expanded to sites in East Tampa, Plant City and Ruskin.

The additional locations are:

• Lee Davis Community Resource Center, 3402 N. 22nd St., Tampa
• Plant City Community Resource Center, 307 N. Michigan Ave., Plant City
• SouthShore Community Resource Center, 201 14th Ave. SE, Ruskin

Raymond James Stadium remains open as a testing site. The three additional locations will make coronavirus testing more convenient for residents throughout Hillsborough County. The three new sites will offer drive-through testing, but a vehicle is not required as long as the resident has preregistered and scheduled an appointment.

Pre-Screening and Pre-Registration

• Residents may get tested if they are symptomatic and have been prescreened by calling through the Hillsborough County call center at 813-272-5900 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• There is no charge for the test administered at Hillsborough County locations.
• Residents are not required to have health insurance to get tested.
• Should a test be scheduled for you, you will be informed of time, date, and testing location during this call.

What to Bring

• Personal vehicles must be under the maximum height of 8 feet.
• Limit vehicle passengers to those needing a test.
• Have a photo ID with name and date of birth for all people being tested (can be Florida driver’s license, state-issued ID or passport).
• Bring the correct confirmation code provided by the call center; this can be a printed copy of the testing confirmation email received from the call center, a screen-shot of the confirmation number or the code may be provided verbally. A printed code or screen-shot on the phone helps the process, but is not required.

What to Expect

• You will be greeted by a health care provider in personal protective gear who will give you instructions.
• A minimally invasive test will be administered.
• Do not eat for two hours prior to your appointment time.
• Test results are not immediate. Most people will receive results within 10 days. After taking the test, you will be given information on what to do while you await the results.
• You will receive test results via the telephone number you gave at the time of prescreening.
• Please be patient – calling back to check on your results will not speed up the process.

Testing sites are staffed by health care professionals in medical protective gear who are trained to test for the coronavirus. Directional signage and law enforcement will help residents through the testing site in an orderly fashion.

Residents Asked To Fill Out Survey

Hillsborough County wants to continue to improve its delivery of services and resources to residents during the coronavirus pandemic, and the county is seeking the public's input to guide its mission.

The county is asking residents to complete an anonymous survey to help staff learn how to better serve the public. The responses provided will help determine the best methods to communicate and offer coronavirus resources, including testing and safety guidelines. It will also help the county develop strategies to communicate the latest local and federal updates.

The survey is available in English and Spanish here.

Residents can also take the survey by texting StaySafe to 73224 for English or texting StaySafeEspanol to 73224 for Spanish.

The survey is for all county residents. However, a goal of the survey is to reach residents who may not be taking advantage of county government resources and aren't accessing the coronavirus assistance that the county provides. The county wants to reach out to residents to determine the communication barriers and learn about their needs to better serve them.

The anonymous survey asks respondents how seriously they are taking the pandemic and if they practice washing their hands, wearing a mask, social distancing and remaining indoors. The survey asks what prevents the respondent from getting tested for coronavirus and what are their current concerns with coronavirus.

The survey also seeks information residents think would be helpful to be better prepared, such as how to access and make food supplies last, the latest guidelines to stay safe and steps to take if someone in the household develops symptoms.

The survey, which includes a telephonic component administered by HCP Associates, a firm that specializes in community engagement research and a partner in community survey efforts with Hillsborough County, will be conducted over eight weeks.

The information gathered will help county officials develop data-driven strategies in the continued mitigation of the coronavirus outbreak.

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