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Tag: Manatee County COVID-19

COVID-19 on the rise in Manatee County

COVID-19 rising in Manatee County

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – While life has returned nearly to normal on the Island more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, people are still catching the virus with cases on the rise.

The current community level in Manatee County is medium after spending more than two months at low. 

COVID-19 community levels are a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend taking precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 based on your community level. The CDC guidelines are:

  • Low: Stay up to date with vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms.
  • Medium: If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your doctor about whether you need to wear a mask or take extra precautions. Stay up to date with vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms.
  • High: Wear a mask indoors in public, stay up to date with vaccines, get tested if you have symptoms and take additional precautions if you’re at high risk for illness.

The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County (DOH) continues to give no-cost COVID-19 vaccinations at its clinic on Sixth Avenue East in Bradenton. The DOH offers the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations are by appointment only. Appointments are available between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. Call 941-242-6646 to book an appointment.

COVID-19 in Manatee County

 

June 5

Cases 289

% Positivity 22.39%

Deaths < 10

% Eligible population vaccinated 72.4%

New hospital admissions 33

 

June 13

Cases 298

% Positivity 22.39%

Deaths < 10

% Eligible population vaccinated 72.5%

New hospital admissions 52

 

Source: CDC

Anyone who books an appointment for a vaccination is asked to download and complete a vaccination consent form. Click on “Events” in the toolbar and the system will take you to the page with the form.

Anyone under age 18 who would like to be vaccinated must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The clinic is located at 410 Sixth Ave. E. in Bradenton.

There were three deaths in Manatee County due to COVID-19 in the past week, a 233% increase from the previous week, so the DOH encourages every eligible person to get vaccinated. According to the DOH, anyone who qualifies for a COVID-19 vaccination who has yet to get vaccinated – whether they’ve already had COVID-19 or not – is strongly encouraged to get vaccinated. 

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and have proven effective in preventing illness and death due to the virus. If you are seeking a second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, please be sure to bring your vaccination card and the completed consent form to the clinic. 

COVID-19 testing continues to be offered outdoors at the Bradenton Area Convention Center from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day (weather permitting). The site offers both PCR and rapid testing.

Additional vaccination and testing sites in Manatee County can be found here. Vaccines and tests are also available at most pharmacies.

County opens new COVID-19 testing site

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Health.

MANATEE COUNTY – A new COVID-19 testing site is now available at the SUNZ insurance building, 1301 Eighth Ave. in downtown Bradenton.

The new location offers free PCR and rapid testing at a walk-up site open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Anyone wishing to be tested is asked to provide a form of government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport.

No appointments are necessary, though you can save time and pre-register by going online.

Another county-run COVID-19 test site is located at the Bradenton Area Convention Center at 1 Haben Blvd. in Palmetto, which is also open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For anyone who wants a more convenient, free COVID-19 testing option, you can submit a form to receive one set of four free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are available online and are limited to one order per residential address. Each order contains four individual rapid antigen tests and will begin shipping in late January.

If you’re one of the people who have managed to find a rapid COVID-19 test in stores, check with your insurance company; they might be able to provide you a refund for the cost of the tests.

Under guidance released Jan. 10 from the Biden administration, private insurers are required to begin covering the cost of up to eight FDA-authorized rapid at-home COVID-19 tests per month beginning Jan. 15.

The coverage requirement does not apply to Medicaid managed care or Medicare Advantage plans.

Reimbursement is capped at $12 per test, though some insured individuals may qualify for direct cost coverage where the in-store test would be free. Check with your insurance company to determine how to apply for reimbursement.

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Manatee County School Board extends mask ‘mandate’

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Schools.

HOLMES BEACH – As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the Manatee County School Board voted 3-2 on Aug. 24 to extend a temporary mask mandate it passed on Aug. 16 requiring all students and staff to wear masks on campus.

The mandate includes an opt-out clause requiring parents to fill out an online form if they do not want their child to wear a mask.

Staff members also may opt out of the mask mandate.

The school board also approved a motion that would allow the superintendent to remove the mandate if the 7-day COVID-19 positivity rate in Manatee County is 8% or less. Otherwise, the mandate expires on Oct. 29.

When the Aug. 16 meeting was held, there were fewer than 700 cases of COVID-19 in Manatee County schoolchildren and fewer than 200 cases among staff. Anna Maria Elementary had reported two student cases of COVID-19 at that time.

Since then, the numbers at Anna Maria Elementary have risen to six students since the first day of school on Aug. 10 and 1,337 students countywide. Staff COVID-19 cases are currently at 220 countywide. 

While mask mandates are illegal under Florida law, some school districts have passed them despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’ warning that state funds can be withheld from those districts. Nearby districts that have passed mandates without opt-out clauses include Sarasota and Hillsborough. So far, no action has been taken by the state against the districts.

COVID-19 procedures in Manatee County schools

  • All students and employees who are sick or who have symptoms will be sent home
    until they are symptom-free.
  • Temperature checks will be taken daily for all employees and randomly for students.
  • Reinforce and practice proper handwashing techniques among students and staff.
  • Provide and encourage the use of hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
  • Deep clean and disinfect schools and school buses daily, or in-between uses as
    needed.
  • Make every effort to social distance as much as possible in schools.
  • District employees visiting schools, other than their own, must wear masks during the
    school day.
  • Provide plastic shields in elementary classrooms and cafeterias where possible.
  • All employees will answer COVID-related questions daily upon arriving at work.
  • Limit non-essential visitors and volunteers to school campuses.
  • Everyone eligible to be vaccinated is strongly encouraged to get vaccinated.

State COVID-19 testing sites close

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Health.

MANATEE COUNTY – The COVID-19 testing site that’s been a fixture in the southwest corner of the Bradenton Area Convention Center parking lot for the past several months is closed.

The order to close all state COVID-19 testing sites by May 28 came from the Florida Department of Health on May 11. Two of the first ones to close were in Manatee and Sarasota counties, both of which were set to close May 15 after testing for the day concluded.

Though the walk-up site at the convention center is no more, Manatee County residents still have options to receive free COVID-19 tests.

Local Walgreens and CVS locations are offering free COVID-19 testing with both rapid tests and more detailed diagnostic tests that take a few days to receive results.

On Anna Maria Island, both CVS and Walgreens offer the diagnostic test. For a rapid test, islanders will need to drive into town.

To book an appointment for COVID-19 testing at a Walgreens location, visit their website. You will be required to fill out a short online form and provide your insurance information. Select Walgreens locations offer drive-thru testing.

To book an appointment at a local CVS, visit their COVID-19 test information page. Patients also will have to fill out a short online form and provide insurance information to book an appointment.

For those who don’t want to visit a local pharmacist, at-home COVID-19 test kits are available for purchase. The test kits are available for about $40 and can be purchased in person or online from CVS and other retailers. Patients will have to take their own nasal sample using the provided collection tools and mail the sample to a designated laboratory for processing.

More information on at-home testing can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

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DeSantis suspends local COVID-19 orders

 

Manatee County to close COVID-19 vaccine site

COVID-19 vaccines open up to ages 65 and older

COVID-19 vaccines open up to ages 65 and older

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Health.

MANATEE COUNTY – The county is giving a New Year’s gift to its seniors. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Manatee County on Dec. 28 and distribution to seniors age 65 and older will begin on Dec. 30.

During a Dec. 29 press conference held via Zoom, Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Nicholas Azzara said that 3,500 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine had arrived in the county and that appointments for distribution of those vaccines to seniors aged 65 and older are now open.

The first two days of vaccine distribution, on Wednesday, Dec. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 31, will take place at the Manatee County Department of Public Safety complex at 2101 47th Terrace E. in Bradenton. Up to 300 people per day are expected to be vaccinated at the Department of Public Safety. On Friday, Jan. 1, the vaccine distribution center will be moved to Bennett Park at 400 Cypress Creek Blvd. in Bradenton. At Bennett Park, appointments are planned to be booked through Jan. 4 with up to 500 people vaccinated per day. Both sites will be drive-thru vaccination sites.

To book an appointment, visit the Manatee County website to complete the Department of Health vaccine screening and consent form. Print out a copy of the consent form which will be required onsite before a vaccine can be administered. Once that is complete, an Eventbrite site will open up to allow you to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine. If the website is busy, Azzara said to please keep trying. If you do not have computer access, please call the Manatee County Department of Health at 941-748-0747 for assistance.

Once you have an appointment, please arrive at the vaccine location on time and with a copy of your consent form, registration ticket from Eventbrite and photo identification to prove your age. All vaccine recipients are asked to stay in their vehicles unless directed to exit by onsite medical personnel. Anyone with a history of allergic reactions to vaccines will be asked to remain for 15-30 minutes after receiving the vaccine for observation.

While the 3,500 doses of the vaccine received by the county won’t come close to vaccinating all of the more than 100,000 residents at or over age 65, more vaccines are promised by the Florida State Attorney General’s Office to be on the way once Manatee County’s supply dwindles down to 500. As more vaccines arrive, more appointments will be available online for qualified individuals trying to get the vaccine.

There is no charge to receive the COVID-19 vaccine through the Manatee County vaccination site.

There are no residency requirements to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Manatee County. However, once the first dose of the vaccine is received, the recipient must receive the second dose in Manatee County. Vaccine records will not be able to be transferred to another state or facility. For the Moderna vaccine, a second dose must be administered 28 days after the first dose. While Manatee County does not yet have the Pfizer vaccine, that one has a 21-day period before a second dose must be administered. Illegal immigrants with valid photo identification who meet the age requirement will be able to receive the vaccine in Manatee County.

Manatee County Chief of Emergency Medical Services James Crutchfield said that once initial doses of vaccine are administered, a system will be set up for those requiring a second dose to register for vaccine appointments.

Residents of assisted living, nursing homes or other long-term care facilities will receive a vaccine from the staff of those facilities. Hospital staff and patients requiring the vaccine will receive their vaccinations at those facilities. The vaccines allotted to local hospitals will not be made available to the general public at this time.

For anyone who cannot get to one of the county-run facilities to receive their vaccine, Crutchfield said that plans for localized community vaccination distribution are being made though those vaccinations will take place further down the road. Right now, he said the priority for Manatee County is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible to work toward herd immunity, expected to occur when 70-80% of the population has been vaccinated.

Currently, there is no timeline for when the vaccine will be made available to people less than 65 years old in the state of Florida.

While the Manatee County appointment site is a stop-gap for the time being, a state registration site for vaccinations is expected to be launched in two weeks.

For questions about the vaccine, dial 311.

Even once you receive a vaccination, county health officials still recommend practicing safe social distancing, wearing masks and frequent handwashing.

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