The Coronavirus has finally made its way into Fruitland Park as Florida surpassed 40,000 cases Saturday of the potentially deadly virus.
Two COVID-19 cases were identified in the city of roughly 10,000 residents. The gender and ages of those patients weren’t released Saturday by the Florida Department of Health, nor was the exact area where they live in Fruitland Park, which also includes about 2,000 homes in The Villages. But Saturday’s report marked the first time patients have been identified in the city that’s nestled between Leesburg and Lady Lake, where a total of 48 cases have been identified.
It was also reported Saturday that a 14th employee has tested positive at the Sumter Correctional Institution in Bushnell, where a total of 113 cases – including 99 inmates – have been reported. Three inmates also are in medical isolation at the state prison facility on County Road 476B that’s operated by The CEO Group Inc., with another 911 in medical quarantine.
As of Saturday, there were 690 COVID-19 cases in the tri-county area, an increase of 12 from Friday to Saturday. There have been 33 deaths and 135 people have been hospitalized.
Sumter County how has 240 cases – an increase of just one in a 24-hour period – among 172 men, 65 women and three non-residents. There have been 14 deaths and 42 patients have required hospital care.
The overwhelming majority of the Sumter County cases – 114 – have been reported in Bushnell, but all but one of those are at the prison. Another 70 are in The Villages, with other cases in Lake Panasoffkee (22), Wildwood (9), Webster (7), Lady Lake portion of the county (7), Coleman (3), Sumterville (3) and Oxford (2). All three of the cases in Coleman are at the federal prison – one inmate and two staff members.
Lake County also is reporting 240 COVID-19 cases, with the breakdown being 112 men, 116 women and 12 non-residents. There have been 14 deaths and 64 people have required some form of hospital care.
The majority – 81 – are in Clermont. Besides seven cases in The Villages, 10 in Lady Lake and the two new patients in Fruitland Park, other Lake County cities and towns dealing with COVID-19 include Leesburg (38), Eustis (18), Tavares (17), Groveland (15), Mount Dora (14), Mascotte (12), Minneola (6), Sorrento (2), Okahumpka (1), Umatilla (1), Howey-in-the-Hills (1), Montverde (1), Grand Island (1) and Yalaha (1).
Marion County jumped to 210 COVID-19 cases on Saturday – an increase of eight in a 24-hour period. They are comprised of 90 men, 115 women and five non-residents. There have been five deaths and 29 people have required care at area hospitals.
Ocala continues to lead the way in Marion County with 147 cases. Besides the 25 in Summerfield – which includes a 6-month-old girl – and the one patient that’s been reported in The Villages, other COVID-19 cases in Marion County have been identified in Dunnellon (9), Citra (7), Belleview (6), Ocklawaha (5), Anthony (3), Reddick (2) and Silver Springs (1).
All told, Florida is reporting 40,0001 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 802 in a 24-hour period. Of those, 38,926 are Sunshine State residents. There have been 1,715 deaths and 7,093 people have required hospitalization across the state.
Miami-Dade County continues to lead the state with 13,841 cases, followed by Broward County (5,780), Palm Beach County (3,798), Orange County (1,505), Hillsborough County (1,400), Lee County (1,249) and Duval County (1,134).