COVID-19 kills six more Manatee County residents. In Florida, there were 144 more deaths
Six more Manatee County residents have died from COVID-19, the Florida Department of Health said Thursday. Statewide, there were 141 newly confirmed deaths.
In Manatee County, resident deaths from COVID-19 now total 316. Statewide, there have been 15,736 residents killed by COVID-19. The deaths of three non-residents confirmed Thursday made a total of 196 who have died in Florida.
There were also 3,356 new infections reported in Florida on Thursday, the highest single-day case count in Florida since Sept. 19, when 3,573 cases were added.
Since the start of the pandemic hit, a total of 744,988 people have contracted the coronavirus.
Thirty-four of those new infections were in Manatee County, where 12,304 people have now tested positive. Those new cases were among 401 test results, with a 8.5% positivity rate.
The median age of those who have tested positive for the coronavirus in Manatee County since the start of the pandemic has increased to 40 years old, after months of being at 39 years old, according to health department reports. In the the past couple weeks, the daily median age of positive cases has been between 38 to 54 years old — substantially older than this past summer.
Hospitalizations also continue to climb locally.
On Thursday, there were 39 patients who were positive for the coronavirus admitted to one of the county’s three general hospitals, Manatee Memorial Hospital, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Blake Medical Center, according to data collected by county’s public health officials. To date, there have been 854 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus.
According to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration data, 33 patients admitted at the hospitals were admitted with COVID-19 as a primary diagnosis and reason for admission. Statewide, there were 2,119 patients hospitalized.
On Thursday, these three hospitals had 72 available and staffed beds, including 19 ICU beds.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota: Cases increased from 8,786 to 8,841. The death toll increased from 291 to 301.
- Desoto County: Cases remained at 1,609. The death toll remained at 27.
- Hardee County: Cases increased from 1,479 to 1,504. The death toll remained at 11.
- Hillsborough County: Cases increased from 44,652 to 44,811. The death toll increased from 720 to 734.
- Pinellas County: Cases increased from 23,510 to 23,623. The death toll increased from 788 to 792.
The Miami Herald contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 11:35 AM.
