Manatee County has 5 new cases of COVID-19 as testing slows. Florida death toll passes 900
There were five new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Manatee County as testing slowed once again. Only 37 new complete tests were reported by the Florida Department of Health on Wednesday.
Manatee County had a total of 448 total cases — the 10th highest case count among the state’s 67 counties. The local death toll stayed at 34.
The statewide death toll stood at 927, with 60 new deaths reported Wednesday, including in Broward, Dade, Indian River, Orange, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.
Overall, the state had added 707 new cases since Tuesday evening, bringing the total to 28,576.
Since outbreak first began in Manatee County, the level of testing has lagged behind other parts of the state. As of Wednesday evening, 2,755 county residents had been tested.
The percentage of Manatee County residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus remains one of the highest in the state, 16.3 percent. Only Suwannee and Jefferson counties have higher rates of positive tests with, 21.5 and 20.5 percent, respectively.
Since Tuesday, 15 more cases have been confirmed to have ties to an assisted living facility or other elder care center. There have been a total of 143 cases, including 14 deaths, linked to eight Manatee County nursing homes and ALFs.
Only Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties have more cases linked to long-term care facilities. Statewide, there are now a total of 2,209 such cases, including 234 deaths.
According to IEM 7-day model projections, Manatee County is expected to reach a total of 505 total cases by April 28.
In Sarasota County, there were 302 cases of COVID-19, with 8.2 percent of those tested being positive. The county has had 31 people who have now died from the disease, which includes the latest two deaths announced. Sarasota County has 46 COVID-19 cases among residents and staff at long-term care facilities, 14 of whom have died.
Hillsborough County now has 986 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, or 6.1 percent of those tested. The county has had 20 deaths.
In Pinellas County, there were 641 cases of COVID-19, with 19 people who have died from the disease.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 12:58 PM.
