Four more COVID-19 deaths in Manatee County as state death toll hits 1,600
Four more people have died in Manatee County from COVID-19 as the state death toll hits 1,600, according to the latest data released by the Florida Department of Health on Thursday.
In Manatee County, 68 people have died from COVID-19.
The 61 newly reported deaths in Florida happened in Manatee, as well as Broward, Charlotte, Miami-Dade, DeSoto, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties.
Manatee County had 15 new cases of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, making a total of 737 cases locally.
Statewide, there are now 38,828 total cases.
The latest data released accounted for 555 new tests in Manatee County but there are hundreds more still with results pending. The percentage of those testing positive remains higher than the state average, 10.7% compared to 7.9% statewide.
The regional testing site set up by the National Guard near the Mall at University Town Center tested another 769 people Thursday, making a total of 2,884 people who have been tested since the drive-thru opened on Sunday.
A Manatee Department of Health-run drive-thru also continues to test 100 patients a day for already booked appointments. The department is now working on identifying sites in specific zip codes for future drive-thru sites.
The fatality rate in Manatee County is 9%, more than twice the statewide rate of 4% of cases.
Hospitalizations rates are also higher locally, with 24% of confirmed cases having to be hospitalized. Currently, a total of 170 people remain hospitalized in the county’s three local hospitals, according to a county internal report. Statewide, 18% of cases have required hospitalization.
Another long-term care facility had a confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Manatee County: Heritage Park Care And Rehabilitation Center, according to Thursday’s report. The skilled nursing home has one staffer who has tested positive. Meanwhile, the health department removed another nursing home, Westminster Point Pleasant, from the current list.
The data released daily is cumulative and represents the latest updates from the facilities as of Wednesday.
A total of 93 current residents at eight skilled nursing homes and three assisted living facilities locally have tested positive. An additional 54 patients who tested positive have been transferred to another facility or hospital. Staffers testing positive at all these facilities currently total 66.
In Sarasota County, there are now 412 total cases of people testing positive for the coronavirus. The death toll in Sarasota now stands at 51.
There are 1,364 cases of coronavirus in Hillsborough County, with 5% of those tested being positive. In Hillsborough, there have been 36 COVID-19 caused deaths. In Pinellas County, there are 820 people total who have tested positive for the virus, 4.6% of those tested. The death toll in Pinellas now stands at 56.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 4:35 PM.
