More than 330 kids have tested positive for coronavirus in Manatee County, state says

An additional 133 children in Manatee County have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Florida Department of Health.

In a report dated Friday, the health department said a total of 332 children have tested positive for the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 respiratory disease. A week earlier, 199 people 17 and younger had tested positive, according to the health department.

A total of 929 children have been tested in Manatee since the start of the pandemic, for a positivity rate of 35.7%, more than 10 percentage points higher than a week earlier.

By comparison, the county’s overall positivity rate as of Saturday was 8%. The county has a total of 3,716 cases, as of Sunday.

Statewide, a total of 11,515 children have been infected with the coronavirus, or 24.2% of those tested.

Three children have died.

In Sarasota County, a total of 103 children had tested positive, as of a Friday, up from 46 a week earlier. A total of 491 children have been tested, for a positivity rate of 21%.

Miami-Dade County has the most children who have tested positive for COVID-19 — 1,950, or 29.7% of those who have been tested.

This story was originally published July 5, 2020 at 7:51 AM.