Two more COVID-19 deaths in Manatee County. Over 1,000 have been vaccinated

Two more Manatee County residents have died from COVID-19, according to the Florida Department of Health, and another 133 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the county.

They were among 8,198 new cases confirmed statewide on Monday. The state health department also recorded the deaths of 96 more Florida residents, including the deaths in Manatee County, and three more non-residents due to COVID-19. The state’s death toll during the pandemic now totals 21,308 Florida residents and 305 non-residents.

Manatee County’s cumulative case count since testing began now stands at 21,539, and 412 residents have died.

The positivity rate of local test results continues to rise, according to health department data. The rate of new positive cases among Manatee County test results spiked to 13% on Sunday, though fewer people’s results were processed than usual.

Over the last week, an average of 8.5% of Manatee County test results were new positive cases. That compares to 7.9% the week prior.

As of Monday morning, the official count of people in Manatee County who had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was 1,001.

Hospitalizations in Florida

One of the tools that officials rely on to determine whether the coronavirus situation is improving in the state is hospitalization data. Unlike testing, which might be limited or takes days to report results, hospitalizations can help give officials a real-time snapshot of how many people are severely ill with COVID-19.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration reports the number of patients hospitalized statewide with a “primary diagnosis of COVID.” The data, which is updated at least every hour, does not distinguish between the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital intensive care units and those in acute-care beds, which require less attention from nurses.

As of 3:46 p.m. Monday, there were 6,109 COVID-19 patients admitted into hospitals throughout the state, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration dashboard. This number is at August levels, when more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients were admitted into hospitals throughout the state.

Of Monday’s hospitalizations, 85 were in Manatee County and 131 were in Sarasota County.

Miami-Dade led the state with 1,017 hospitalizations. Hillsborough had 384 and Pinellas had 312.

The state has had a total of 61,663 Florida residents hospitalized for COVID-19-related complications, according to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard.

Manatee County from Sunday to Monday

• Cases increased from 21,406 to 21,539.
• The death toll increased from 410 to 412.
• Resident hospitalizations since the outbreak increased from 1,070 to 1,076.
• Since the outbreak began, 9,811 males and 11,124 females have been infected, with 265 cases unidentified.
• Manatee County’s daily rate of new positive cases increased from 9% to 13%.
• 1,027 cases (5% of all cases) and 152 deaths were among residents and staff of long-term care facilities in Manatee.
• The official count of people vaccinated against COVID-19 increased from 967 to 1,001.

Florida from Sunday to Monday

• Cases increased from 1,271,979 to 1,280,177.
• The resident death toll rose from 21,212 to 21,308. The non-resident death toll increased from 302 to 305.
• Florida’s daily rate of new positive cases increased from 9.7% to 11%.
• The official count of people vaccinated against COVID-19 increased from 118,764 to 122,881.

Surrounding counties

• Sarasota County cases increased from 17,834 to 17,916. The death toll increased from 500 to 502.
• Pinellas County cases increased from 43,210 to 43,480. The death toll increased from 1,029 to 1,035.
• Hillsborough County cases increased from 74,368 to 74,788. The death toll increased from 1,058 to 1,064.
• Hardee County cases increased from 2,056 to 2,057. The death toll remained at 20.
• Desoto County cases increased from 2,839 to 2,843. The death toll remained at 52.

The Miami Herald contributed to this report.

This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 3:04 PM.