55 more cases of COVID-19 in Manatee puts total number at 417. Florida has more than 26,000

Another 55 people in Manatee County were among 822 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed across the state on Sunday, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Florida has now had 26,314 confirmed cases of the disease, including 417 in Manatee County.

An additional 26 people have died, according to the state health department, bringing the number of confirmed deaths in Florida to 774 since the coronavirus outbreak started.

The death toll in Manatee remained at 31.

To date, people in Manatee County have tested positive for the virus at a rate of 17.1 percent, which is high compared to surrounding counties and the statewide average of 10.1 percent.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases tied to long-term care facilities in Manatee County rose to 112 on Sunday morning, nearly double the number that the state health department listed the day before. Manatee now has the fourth highest number of confirmed cases linked to long-term care facilities in the state, ranking only behind Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

A total of 13 of Manatee’s COVID-19-related deaths were among residents or staff at the facilities. Infections tied to long-term care facilities now account for at least 26.9 percent of the county’s total cases and about 42 percent of its fatalities.

Manatee County

Manatee County’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections since the outbreak started increased to 417 on Sunday, according to the state health department. The county saw a roughly 77 percent increase in cases in the past week as about 900 more people were tested.

The rate at which people in Manatee County are testing positive for the virus also increased over the weekend. The test positivity rate in Manatee County was at 17.1 percent as of Sunday evening, compared to 8.3 percent in Sarasota County, 6.3 percent in Hillsborough and 5.7 percent in Pinellas.

A total of 2,445 people have now been tested in Manatee County.

Only two cases of non-residents testing positive for COVID-19 has been reported in Manatee County; the rest of the cases were among residents.

The age range of those infected is 2 to 98, according to the latest demographics data from the state.

Manatee County case numbers by age as of Sunday morning:

0-4 years old: 1 case

5-14 years old: 8 cases

15-24 years old: 19 cases

25-34 years old: 35 cases

35-44 years old: 44 cases

45-54 years old: 75 cases

55-64 years old: 53 cases

65-74 years old: 70 cases

75-84 years old: 81 cases

85+ years old: 31 cases

Of those who tested positive, 42 percent were male, 57 percent were female and less than 1 percent were unknown.

The death toll remains at 31 in Manatee County, and 79 people have required hospitalization, according to the state health department.

There are eight long-term care facilities in Manatee County that have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 in at least one resident or staff member, according to the state health department. The health department identified those facilities for the first time on Saturday at the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis. As of Sunday, 112 cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths were linked to long-term care facilities in Manatee County.

Sarasota County

Sarasota County’s total confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose to 284 on Sunday. Of those cases, 269 were found in residents and 15 were found in non-residents.

The age range of those infected is less than one year old to 102 years old. Out of all cases, 139 were found in adults 65 and older.

Of those who tested positive in Sarasota County, 43 percent were male and 57 percent were female.

A total of 3,417 tests have been administered, with 8.3 percent of tests coming back positive.

The death toll remains at 23 in Sarasota County, and 97 people have required hospitalization.

Tampa Bay area

Hillsborough County has a total of 960 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date, the most of any county in the Tampa Bay area. Testing has been administered to 15,281 people, with about 6.3 percent of tests coming back positive. 19 people with infections have died in Hillsborough County.

Pinellas County has had 592 cases confirmed. Testing has been administered to 10,412 people, with 5.7 percent testing positive. A total of 16 deaths have been reported in Pinellas County.

This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 12:57 PM.