COVID-19 kills 2 more Manatee residents. State reports fewest new cases since Halloween
Two Manatee County residents are among the latest 83 deaths from COVID-19 reported by the Florida Department of Health on Monday. The health department also reported the fewest number of new cases since Halloween.
Statewide, there were 3,312 new coronavirus infections reported, the lowest daily count since 2,331 cases reported on Oct. 31. There have been 1,948,307 infected in Florida since the start of the pandemic.
There were 91 new infections reported in Manatee County, raising the total of people who have contracted the coronavirus to 32,694.
Across the state, the deaths of 81 residents and two non-residents were confirmed on Tuesday. In Florida, 31,764 residents and 585 non-residents have died from COVID-19, according to the health department.
In Manatee County, there have been 614 residents who have died from COVID-19, according to the state health department.
Monday’s new data included 89 local residents who have tested positive with a median age of 43. Another 1,145 residents tested negative. The county’s daily positivity rate increased from 6% on Sunday to 7.2% on Monday.
Hospitalizations in the state overall continue on a steady decline — about 9% in the past week. On Monday, there were 3,332 patients admitted to hospitals across the state with COVID-19 as a primary diagnosis or reason for admission, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration.
In Manatee County, recent weeks have seen some fluctuations in hospitalizations but they were down on Monday by about 24% compared to week earlier. The county’s three general hospitals had 55 patients admitted because of COVID-19.
Those three hospitals, Blake Medical Center, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Manatee Memorial Hospital, had 99 available beds, including 10 ICU beds, according to AHCA, which does not account for whether the beds are adequately staffed.
Meanwhile, across Florida there have been 3,590,686 people who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the health department. Among them, 1,959,490 people have been fully inoculated.
In Manatee County, there have been 71,779 people who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 29,108 of them have been fully inoculated.
Surrounding counties:
- Sarasota County cases increased from 27,472 to 7,572. The death toll remained at 750.
- Desoto County cases increased from 3,872 to 3,876. The death toll remained at 76.
- Hardee County cases increased from 2,819 to 2,822. The death toll remained at 31.
- Hillsborough County cases increased from 113,623 to 113,794. The death toll remained at 1,535.
- Pinellas County cases increased from 67,844 to 67,961. The death toll increased from 1,480 to 1,481.
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 3:16 PM.
