COVID-19 claims life of another Manatee County resident. Florida reports 98 new deaths
A Manatee County resident was among the total 98 latest deaths from COVID-19 reported by the Florida Department of Health on Friday.
Across Florida, the latest deaths included 94 residents and four non-residents. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 15,830 residents and 200 non-residents killed by the disease.
In Manatee County, COVID-19 have been responsible for the deaths of 317 residents.
There were also 3,449 new coronavirus infections reported statewide on Friday. Positive cases in Florida now total 748,437.
Manatee County had 61 new cases of the coronavirus, raising the total of those who have been infected since March to 12,365.
Despite a small decrease compared to the previous day, hospitalizations remain about three times higher than a month ago.
On Friday, there were 37 patients positive for the coronavirus admitted at 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 public safety officials. Five of those patients were being treated in an intensive care unit at one of the three hospitals.
Hospitalizations for patients infected with the coronavirus now total 860 locally since the start of the pandemic, according to the county’s data.
According to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Agency, there were 32 patients hospitalized in Manatee County for which COVID-19 was a primary diagnosis and reason for their admission. Across Florida, COVID-19 was the reason for admission for 2,083 people on Friday.
The three general hospitals had 56 available and staffed beds on Friday, including five ICU beds, according to the county’s data.
With the uptick of hospitalizations, Manatee County EMS transported about five presumptive positive patients per day in the past week. The Emergency Communications Center took 12 COVID-related calls in the past week, a small decrease from last week. COVID-related calls to 311, however, increased with 31 such calls in the past week, mostly regarding testing.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota: Cases increased from 8,841 to 8,908. The death toll increased from 301 to 307.
- Desoto County: Cases increased from 1,609 to 1,612. The death toll remained at 27.
- Hardee County: Cases increased from 1,504 to 1,519. The death toll remained at 11.
- Hillsborough County: Cases increased from 44,811 to 44,999. The death toll increased from 734 to 738.
- Pinellas County: Cases increased from 23,623 to 23,746. The death toll increased from 792 to 793.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
