Manatee County has 153 new cases of coronavirus. Florida reports 12,873 cases
Manatee County has 153 more people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, as 12,873 new cases were reported across the state on Thursday by the Florida Department of Health.
There have now been 26,755 people in or from Manatee County who’ve tested positive since the start of the pandemic. The state’s caseload of infections now totals 1,613,884.
The deaths of 161 residents and two non-residents from COVID-19 were also confirmed in the latest data from the state health department. In Florida, there have been 24,739 residents and 389 non-residents that have been killed by COVID-19.
No new COVID-19 deaths were reported in Manatee County on Thursday, where the official death toll now stands at 464.
The latest new local cases included 151 residents with a median age of 49, according to the state health department. New test results for residents had a 4.9% positivity rate.
Hospitalizations in Manatee County continue to be on the rise, while at the state level they continue to show small declines this week.
On Thursday afternoon, there were 93 patients hospitalized in Manatee County with COVID-19 being a primary diagnosis and reason for admission, compared to 87 such patients on Wednesday, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. Statewide, there were 7,025 patients admitted because of COVID-19, compared to 7,141 such patients on Wednesday.
General hospitals in Manatee County were nearly all at capacity on Thursday afternoon.
Blake Medical Center and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center reported no available beds, based on current staffing, according to data collected by county public safety officials. Manatee Memorial Hospital does report that data to the county. But according to data collected by AHCA, which does not account for staffing, Manatee Memorial had 19 available beds, including two ICU beds.
At Blake, there were 15 patients being held in the emergency room waiting for a bed to become available so they could be admitted. Lakewood Ranch had three patients waiting for a bed.
The three hospitals had a total of 92 patients who were positive for the coronavirus, according to the county’s data. Of those patients, there were 17 being treated in an ICU.
Inoculations remains extremely slow across the state. Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees cited the scarcity of vaccines in a public health advisory issued Thursday afternoon that requires that anyone getting a vaccine to prove they are a Florida resident or frontline healthcare worker in the state.
As of Thursday, there are 1,056 people fully inoculated in Manatee County and an additional 16,924 people who have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the health department.
Women in Manatee County are getting vaccinated at a higher rate, one-and-a-half times as much as men. Similar trends have been seen elsewhere in the state and country.
Statewide, there are 123,971 people who have been fully inoculated and another 1,059,041 people who have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota County cases increased from 23,037 to 23,227. The death toll remained at 563.
- Desoto County cases increased from 3,241 to 3,254. The death toll rose from 67 to 68.
- Hardee County cases increased from 2,442 to 2,456. The death toll remained at 22.
- Hillsborough County cases increased from 94,012 to 94,870. The death toll rose from 1,198 to 1,215.
- Pinellas County cases increased from 55,241 to 55,564. The death toll rose from 1,206 to 1,208.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 3:05 PM.
