Three more succumb to COVID-19 as tri-county death toll hits 14

Three more area residents – two from Sumter County and one from Lake County – have died as a result of the Coronavirus, bringing the total in the tri-county area to 14.

Two of those victims – a 67-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man – lived in Sumter County, where the vast majority of Villages homes are located. The woman had traveled recently to Belize, Honduras, Mexico and other parts of Florida and had been in contact with someone else suffering from the virus. The man hadn’t traveled recently but also had been in contact with another COVID-19 patient.
The other death that was reported Friday afternoon was a 70-year-old Lake County woman. Unlike the others, she hadn’t traveled nor been in contact with anyone else suffering from the virus.

It’s unclear if any of them lived in The Villages, as that specific per person information isn’t released by the Florida Department of Health. But as of Friday night, it was known that at least 66 Villagers have tested positive for the virus – 58 in Sumter County, seven in Lake County and one in the Marion County portion of the mega-retirement community.

Those include late Village of Winifred resident Carol Lynch, who died April 2 at UF Health The Villages Hospital, and Village of Monarch Grove resident Tony Perry, who was diagnosed at UF Health Leesburg Hospital and was reported to be recovering.

As of late Friday afternoon, 339 tri-county residents have tested positive for COVID-19. They were comprised of 165 men and 174 women.

In Sumter County, 107 positive cases have been identified. Of those, 58 are men, 49 are women and their ages range from 18 to 92. There have been nine deaths and 27 people have been hospitalized.

Lake County is reporting 149 cases, with seven of those being non-residents. Seventy-two are men and 77 are women. There have been three deaths and 39 have required hospital care.

In Marion County, 83 people have tested positive for the virus, with three of those being non-residents. The patients – 35 men and 48 women – range in age from 19 to 88. Two have died and nine have been hospitalized.

All told, Florida is reporting 17,968 cases of COVID-19, with 17,448 of those patients being Florida residents. There have been 419 deaths and 2,496 patients have required care at hospitals across the Sunshine State.