7 new COVID-19 deaths in reported in Manatee. New infections keep surging across Florida
COVID-19 has killed seven more Manatee County residents, the Florida Department of Health said Wednesday.
The health department also reported 269 new infections in county, part of 13,871 new cases reported statewide — the highest daily count of new cases since July.
With new cases continuing to surge, infections in Manatee County now total 21,980 since the start of the pandemic. Statewide, cases now total 1,306,123.
The official death toll of Manatee County residents killed now stands at 422.
Statewide, 137 residents’ deaths were reported across the state on Wednesday. Another two non-residents have also died from COVID-19. There have been 21,546 residents and 311 non-residents to die in Florida from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
As of Wednesday morning, 2,696 people in Manatee County had received a COVID-19 vaccine.
The latest new cases locally included 255 Manatee County residents with a median age of 42.. Those cases were among 2,328 test results released, with a 9.9% positivity rate.
Hospitalization rates continue to climb across Florida. On Wednesday, there were 6,298 people patients in hospitals with COVID-19 as primary diagnosis and reason for admission, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. In Manatee County, there were 71 patients admitted because of COVID-19.
The county’s three general hospitals — Blake Medical Center, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Manatee Memorial Hospital — had 139 available beds on Wednesday, including 17 ICU beds, according to AHCA, which does not account for available staffing.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota County cases increased from 18,144 to 18,371. The death toll remained at 502.
- Desoto County cases increased from 2,858 to 2,883. The death toll remained 55.
- Hardee County cases increased from 2,070 to 2,084. The death toll remained at 20.
- Hillsborough County cases increased from 75,547 to 76,221. The death toll remained at 1,064 to 1,068.
- Pinellas County cases increased from 43,869 to 44,243. The death toll increased from 1,040 to 1,045.
This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 3:18 PM.
