State officials confirm 20 new coronavirus deaths, 235 more positive cases in Manatee
COVID-19 claimed the lives of 20 more people and another 235 people tested positive for the deadly virus in Manatee County, according to the latest daily update from the Florida Department of Health. There were 41 new deaths reported in Sarasota County.
State health officials said Friday afternoon that 13,719 more people tested positive throughout the state, bringing Florida’s total caseload to 1,627,603. The update also confirmed the deaths of 272 Florida residents and 5 non-residents.
The number of deaths is the most reported by Florida in a single day since Aug. 11 when the state announced 276 deaths. Positivity percentages also soared across the state.
Since the start of the pandemic, 26,990 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Manatee. The confirmation of 20 new deaths brings the county’s death toll to 484.
In Florida, there have been 24,739 residents and 389 non-residents who have been killed by COVID-19.
Capacity at Manatee County’s three general hospitals was extremely limited on Friday. Blake Medical Center had six beds available, including one intensive care unit bed, based on current staffing, according to data collected by county public safety officials. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center had only one bed available, in its ICU.
That was a slight improvement compared to Thursday when Blake and Lakewood Ranch were both at capacity based on staffing at that time. Despite those improvements, both hospitals still had patients waiting in the emergency room for a bed to become available so they could be admitted, 20 people waiting at Blake and six waiting at Lakewood Ranch.
Manatee Memorial Hospital, which does not share capacity data with the county, had 31 available beds, including two ICU beds on Friday, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration, which does not account for staffing.
The three hospitals had more coronavirus positive patients on Friday, 96 patients compared to 93 on Thursday. It was more than 25% increase compared to a month ago. Of those positive patients on Friday, there were 15 being treated in an ICU.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota County cases increased from 23,227 to 23,603. The death toll rose from 563 to 604.
- Desoto County cases increased from 3,254 to 3,273. The death toll remained at 68.
- Hardee County cases increased from 2,456 to 2,472. The death toll remained at 22.
- Hillsborough County cases increased from 94,870 to 95,477. The death toll rose from 1,215 to 1,220.
- Pinellas County cases increased from 55,564 to 56,247. The death toll rose from 1,208 to 1,209.
This is a developing story and will be updated. The Miami Herald contributed to this story.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 2:57 PM.
