Two more Manatee residents die from COVID. County’s death toll nears 400
Two more Manatee County residents have died from COVID-19 as the official death toll of Floridians killed surpassed 20,000, according to the Florida Department of Health.
In Manatee County, the official death toll of residents killed by the disease now stands at 398.
Statewide, the deaths of 137 residents and one non-resident because of COVID-19 were confirmed on Monday. There have been 20,003 residents and 268 non-residents killed by the disease, for a total of 20,271 deaths in the state.
The total number of coronavirus infections in Manatee County surpassed 19,000. Another 208 new infections were reported Monday, raising the total since the start of the pandemic to 19,020.
Across the state, there were 8,452 new coronavirus infections reported Monday. A total of 1,134,383 people have tested positive for the virus in Florida.
The 207 Florida residents who tested positive for the coronavirus in Manatee were among 2,215 resident test results confirmed, with a 8.6% positivity rate and median age of 38 years old.
In Manatee County, 56 patients positive for the coronavirus were hospitalized on Monday at Blake Medical Center, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center or Manatee Memorial Hospital — 15% fewer than a week ago. Compared to a month ago, however, total hospitalizations have increased by 75%.
While total hospitalizations may have seen a decrease in the past week, the number of patients requiring treatment in an ICU for COVID-19 has increased. On Monday, there were 16 COVID patients in ICUs in of the three hospitals.
Since March, there have been 1,035 people hospitalized locally with the coronavirus.
Across the state, there has been a nearly 10% increase of COVID-19 hospitalizations over the past week. On Monday, there were 4,931 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as a primary diagnosis and reason for their admission, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration.
Blake Medical Center and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center were both nearly at capacity on Monday. According to data provided to county emergency management officials, Blake had one staffed ICU bed available and no other beds available. Lakewood Ranch had 12 non-ICU beds and no ICU beds staffed and available.
Manatee Memorial Hospital had 25 non-ICU beds and seven ICU beds, according to AHCA. Those statistics, however, do not account for available staffing.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota County cases increased from 15,793 to 15,915. The death toll rose from 428 to 441.
- Desoto County cases increased from 2,602 to 2,613. The death toll remained at 46.
- Hardee County cases increased from 1,880 to 1,886. The death toll remained at 20.
- Hilllsborough County cases increased from 65,502 to 66,041. The death toll rose from 986 to 999.
- Pinellas County cases increased from 37,753 to 38,118. The death toll rose from 951 to 955.
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 3:16 PM.
