Four new Manatee coronavirus cases announced as Florida total approaches 3,200
With four more residents testing positive for the new coronavirus, Manatee County now has 29 cases, as the state total nears 3,200.
The exact prevalence of the virus in Manatee County is still unknown due to a local shortage of specimen collection kits, even though the county hosted the state’s first confirmed case that was not connected to travel. Testing had been completed on 225 residents, as of Friday evening.
More testing is underway with a limited drive-thru testing site that opened Thursday at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto, but those results are expected to take at least four days. Outside of the 200 specimens that facility is expected to collect for testing, specimen collection kits remain scarce.
In addition to announcing 714 new cases, the Florida Department of Health also announced 17 more deaths as a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Florida’s death toll now stands at 46, which includes a 70-year-old Manatee County man who died March 16 at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.
In Sarasota County, nine more residents tested positive for the coronavirus Friday, making a total of 43 cases. Sarasota County has completed tests on 583 residents. Two people have died in Sarasota County.
As of Friday, there have been 13 people hospitalized because of COVID-19 in Manatee County. In Sarasota, 18 patients have been hospitalized.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital, which has seen many of the cases, says they still have 12 COVID-19 patients that have not been discharged. The hospital learned of five new cases on Friday, making a total of 26 people who have been diagnosed with the disease.
In Hillsborough County, which continues to be the known hotbed in the Tampa Bay area, there are now 174 confirmed cases of the coronavirus; testing has been completed on 2,808 residents. Pinellas County now has 82 cases of the coronavirus; 1,472 people have been tested in Pinellas.
Ford donates to Sarasota Memorial
As hospitals continue to deal with increased usage of personal protective equipment, some companies are stepping up to assist with donations. In a news release, Sarasota Memorial Hospital shared that Ford donated 500 protective face shields for health care workers.
“With our supplies dwindling and all of the uncertainties ahead, donations like these are priceless,” Sarasota Memorial Health Care System CEO David Verinder said in a statement.
An assisted living facility in Bradenton is now testing for the novel coronavirus in-house, according to a press release from their parent company, Legend Senior Living. The company operates the Windsor of Bradenton, 2800 60th Ave. W.
“Residents’ well-being is our greatest mission and why we exist as a company. Offering tests to our residents as soon as possible has been a priority with us since the outbreak,” said Chief Operating Office Chris Mahen in a statement.
“We now have test kits on-site in each community and can test a resident if the physician has ordered the test due to symptoms. They’ll then avoid the high risk and spotty availability of testing at off-site hospitals while allowing our community teams to provide more responsive care,” Mahen added.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 12:47 PM.
