COVID-19 in Manatee County surpasses 3,000 cases. But somehow, there is one fewer death
Another 159 people in Manatee County have tested positive for the coronavirus, pushing the total of those infected locally to past 3,000. It is the third-highest daily count since the start of the pandemic.
The latest cases in Manatee County are among the 6,563 new cases announced Wednesday by the Florida Department of Health.
Manatee County now has 3,015 people who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Across the state, those who have been infected now total 158,997.
There were 46 new deaths announced across the state as a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Those deaths include the death of one non-resident, a tally which the health department has been keeping separate.
In Manatee County, one COVID-19 death was deleted from the death toll in the latest data released. The current official death toll is 129.
Calls and emails to FDOH spokesman questioning why there was a COVID-19 death deleted from the official toll in Manatee County went unanswered all day. After an earlier version of this story was published online, the FDOH office of communications sent a comment from it’s generic email account.
“As epidemiological investigations progress, often, more details about a case become available. As the new data is uncovered, the case is subsequently updated. While we are unable to comment regarding specific cases, it is possible that a positive case has been identified as a resident of a different community,” the statement said.
It is the medical examiner’s office, not the Department of Health, that determines a cause of death in Florida. The official COVID-19 death tolls released by FDOH, however, have not completely relied on data from medical examiner’s offices.
The local health department spokesman said the office could not provide an answer and that the department’s director, Dr. Jennifer Bencie, was unavailable.
Manatee County recorded 274 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic. The second-highest daily count was a day earlier —166 cases.
Meanwhile, as cases continue to surge across the state, the percentage of those tested who are positive continues to increase indicating spread of the virus. As of Wednesday, that rate rose by two-tenths of a percentage point in Manatee County to 7.4%. The percent positive also rose in each of the surrounding counties.
Of the 986 test results released from Manatee County on Wednesday, 16.1% were positive cases. The median age of new cases continues to remain in the 30’s as it has since early June.
Local hospitals have already begun restricted visitation again as cases surge.
Coronavirus cases in surrounding counties:
- Sarasota County: Cases increased from 1,482 to 1,601, with an overall 4.4% percent positive. The death toll remains at 97.
- DeSoto County: Cases went from 604 to 634, with an overall 13.4% percent positive. The death toll remains at 10.
- Hardee County: Cases increased from 430 to 440, with an overall 17.6% percent positive. The death toll remains at three.
- Hillsborough County: Cases increased from 10,752 to 11,465, with an overall 9% percent positive. The death toll increased from 138 to 140.
- Pinellas County: Cases increased from 6,487 to 6,861, with an overall 7.2% percent positive. The death toll rose from 166 to 172.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 11:35 AM.
