COVID-19 kills two more Manatee County residents. State reports nearly 14,000 new cases
Two more Manatee County residents are dead from COVID-19 as Florida reported nearly 14,000 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday.
In Manatee, the official COVID-19 death toll is now 450, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Across the state, the deaths of 169 residents and five non-residents from COVID-19 were confirmed Wednesday. In total, there have been 23,396 residents and 363 non-residents who have died from the respiratory disease.
There were also 245 new coronavirus infections in Manatee County reported on Wednesday. Local infections since the start of the pandemic now total 25,379.
Statewide there were 13,990 new infections. Florida has had 1,517,472 people test positive for the coronavirus since last March.
The latest new local cases included 235 residents with are a median age of 41. They were among 2,310 residents’ test results, for a test positivity rate of 9.2%.
Hospitalizations saw a small decline in Florida on Wednesday, compared to Tuesday but still represented an increase of more than 50% compared to a month ago. Across the state, there were 7,582 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as a primary diagnosis and reason for their admission, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. In Manatee County, there were 81 patients reported under that criteria.
The county’s three general hospitals had 76 available beds, including 14 ICU beds, according to AHCA, which does not account for available staffing.
Meanwhile, vaccinations in Florida remain slow. As of Tuesday, there were 707,478 people across the state who had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Among them, there were 61,151 who have received both shots.
As of Tuesday, there have been 12,020 people who received at least one dose of the vaccine in Manatee. Of those, 101 people have received both shots.
Many first responders and frontline healthcare workers were receiving their second dose on Wednesday.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota County cases increased from 21,626 to 21,898. The death toll remained at 544.
- Desoto County cases increased from 3,133 to 3,153. The death toll rose from 61 to 62.
- Hardee County cases increased from 2,312 to 2,328. The death toll remained at 21.
- Hillsborough County cases increased from 88,217 to 89,043. The death toll rose from 1,142 to 1,153.
- Pinellas County cases increased from 51,874 to 52,357. The death toll increased from 1,132 to 1,149.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 2:54 PM.
