UpdatedWed, Dec 16, 2020 at 4:35 pm ET Reply The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday extended its State of Local Emergency for COVID-19 through Dec. 25. (Shutterstock) PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday extended its State of Local Emergency for COVID-19 through Dec. 25. Pinellas County's rolling 7-day average for new COVID-19 cases stood at 404 on Tuesday, which is one of the county's highest marks since summer. The county had 537 new cases on Dec. 9, its second highest total since case tracking began. The 7-day average for positive tests has climbed to 7.3 percent. Dr. Ulyee Choe, director of the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County, reported that the county has seen an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, and some hospital leaders are concerned about their ability to maintain adequate staffing if hospitalizations increase, which could impact the ability of local hospitals to care for both COVID and non-COVID patients.