Manatee County sees the biggest jump of COVID-19 in two weeks, with 36 new cases

The Florida Department of Health on Wednesday reported a 36-case surge in COVID-19 cases in Manatee County, the largest daily spike in positive cases since May 20.

According to health officials, Manatee County’s total number of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, jumped to 1,110 from 1,074 on Tuesday.

COVID-19 positive cases in the county’s long-term care facilities make up 39 percent of the overall cases, or 425 as of Wednesday.

No new deaths were reported overnight, leaving the county’s death toll at 98.

Females continue to represent the majority of cases, at 57 percent of the total. According to health officials, 476 males in Manatee County have been infected compared to 623 females.

State officials continue to use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines when it comes to the number of positive tests compared to the number of residents tested as a goal.

The CDC’s target of “positive percentage” is 9 percent and Manatee County is 5.4 percent, with 19,119 residents testing negative compared to the 1,110 positive tests.

Sarasota County cases increased to 649, with 80 dead from the disease so far. Sarasota’s positive test percentage is 3.6 percent.

Across Florida, the death toll climbed to 2,566 with 58,764 positive cases, with the state’s positive percentage at 5.4 percent.

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 11:52 AM.