Florida reports lowest daily COVID count in months, a year after first case in Manatee man
Florida reported the lowest daily count of new coronavirus infections since October on Monday — one year after the state’s first case was confirmed in a Manatee County man. Three more Manatee residents have died from COVID-19, according to Florida Department of Health.
Manatee County had 53 new cases reported, making 31,962 people who have been infected with the coronavirus in the past year.
Statewide, there were 1,700 new cases reported on Monday. The state has had a total of 1,910,921 people infected with the coronavirus in the past year.
Monday’s single-day case count is the lowest reported since Oct. 5, when 1,415 cases were added.
The health department also confirmed the deaths of 147 residents and three non-residents from COVID-19. Over the past year, the respiratory illness has killed 30,999 residents and 557 non-residents in Florida.
Three Manatee County residents were among the latest to have died from COVID-19. Locally, there have been 595 residents killed over the past year.
The daily test positivity rate increased Monday to 8.6%, from the 6.8% the previous day.
Hospitalizations overall continue to decline across the state, dropping about 40% in the past month. On Monday, there were 3,686 patients admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 as a primary diagnosis and reason for admission, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration.
In Manatee County, hospitalizations have increased again, up 26% compared to Friday. There were 68 patients admitted because of COVID-19 on Monday, 12% less than a month ago.
The county’s three general hospitals, Blake Medical Center, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Manatee Memorial Hospital, had 81 available beds, including 12 ICU beds, according to AHCA, which does not take available staffing into account.
Vaccinations continue underway with 1,691,213 people in Florida fully inoculated against COVID-19. Another 1,343,423 people in Florida have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state health department’s daily vaccine reports.
In Manatee County, there have been 26,439 people fully inoculated and another 29,313 people who have received their first doses.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota County cases increased from 27,038 to 27,065. The death toll remained at 742.
- Desoto County cases remained at 3,798. The death toll remained at 75.
- Hardee County cases remained at 2,794. The death toll remained at 29.
- Hillsborough County cases increased from 111,441 to 111,550. The death toll increased from 1,502 to 1,504.
- Pinellas County cases increased from 66,571 to 66,646. The death toll increased from 1,441 to 1,451.
