Hospitalizations remain low, however, with no more than 13 patients receiving treatment over past week at Sarasota Memorial facilities

Sarasota County’s COVID-19 positivity level took another jump this week, hitting the 6.61% mark, as averaged for the seven days through April 10, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on its website.
The latest figure marks an increase of almost 42%, compared to the 4.66% average that the CDC noted for the seven days through April 3.

The total number of new cases identified in Sarasota County for the seven days through April 12 was 265, the CDC said. That was up 14.22%, compared to the previous seven-day total.
From April 1 through April 7, the latest Florida Department of Health report said, Sarasota County had had 89,528 cases of COVID-19 identified, with 497 new cases reported for that week.

State Health Department staff is providing new data every two weeks.
Additionally, for the seven days through April 12, the CDC said that it had been notified of 11 COVID-19 deaths in the county.
In its April 14 report for its two campuses — in Sarasota and Venice — Sarasota Memorial Hospital reported that it had recorded a total of 652 deaths since the pandemic’s first cases were identified in the county in March 2020. That count was up by one from the 651 figure noted on April 7.
The number of new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents in the county over the seven days through April 14 was 3.6, the CDC said. That compared to 5.3 for the week through April 7.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) has reported total numbers of COVID-19 patients at its two facilities ranging from nine on April 10 to 13 on April 14. The count in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) has fluctuated between two and three since April 10, SMH pointed out.
The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota (DOH-Sarasota) continues to remind the public that vaccination “is the most effective way to protect yourself from COVID-19.”
Dr. Manuel Gordillo, the infectious disease specialist with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, stressed that, as well, during an interview last week with members of the news media.

