COVID update for Wednesday: 43 new infections in Manatee County as cases surpass 39,000
With 43 new infections of the coronavirus reported by the Florida Department of Health on Wednesday, total cases have surpassed 39,000 locally.
Statewide, there were 3,263 new cases of people contracting the coronavirus. Since the start of the pandemic, 2,278,549 positive infections have been reported. In Manatee County, 39,025 people have caught the virus.
The deaths of 51 residents across the state from COVID-19 were also reported in the latest data from the state health department. The fatal respiratory illness is responsible for killing 35,882 residents and 716 non-residents in Florida, according to official death tolls.
Manatee County reported no new deaths caused by COVID-19. The official death toll of residents who have died from the disease remained at 678.
Hospitalizations
After a surge in April, hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue to decline in Florida with a 10% decrease compared to a week ago. On Wednesday, 2,707 people were 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, hospitalization rates for COVID-19 rate remained unchanged on Wednesday compared to the previous day and had declined 3% compared to a week ago. Local hospitals had 32 patients admitted on Wednesday because of the fatal respiratory illness.
Positivity rates
The daily positivity rate for test results of Manatee County residents processed on Tuesday was 5%, a drop compared to 8.8% the previous day, according to the department’s daily COVID-19 county-by-county report. From those test results, there were 50 residents who tested positive and were a median age of 36 years old.
Statewide, the daily positivity rate of cases was 4.6% of tests processed on Tuesday, compared to 5% the previous day.
Vaccination efforts
As of Wednesday morning, nearly 44% of Manatee County residents, or 139,543 people, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state health department’s daily vaccine reports. Almost 35% of residents are fully vaccinated.
Statewide, there are 9,397,252 people who have received at least one shot, with 7,250,765 people fully vaccinated.
Surrounding counties
- Sarasota County cases increased from 32,997 to 33,057. The death toll remained at 825.
- Desoto County cases increased from 4,350 to 4,357. The death toll remained at 93.
- Hardee County cases increased from 3,171 to 3,180. The death toll remained at 44.
- Hillsborough County cases increased from 138,598 to 138,931. The death toll remained at 1,747.
- Pinellas County cases increased from 80,044 to 80,142. The death toll rose from 1,635 to 1,639.
