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The Villages
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Villager contracts Coronavirus as five more cases found in Lady Lake

A sixth Marion County resident has succumbed to the Coronavirus as Lady Lake increased by five new cases and The Villages added one new patient.

The latest tri-county victim of the virus was identified as a 60-year-old Ocala man who tested positive on April 27 and suffered from underlying health conditions. He hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with someone else suffering from COVID-19, according to a report from the Florida Department of Health.

As of Friday, Sumter, Lake and Marion counties were reporting 787 cases of the virus. Those are comprised of 419 men, 348 women and 20 non-residents. There have been 38 deaths and 152 people have been hospitalized.

Sumter County continued to hold steady Friday with 253 cases divided among 180 men, 72 women and one non-resident. There have been 17 deaths and 44 people have required some form of hospital care.

Of the Sumter County cases, 121 are in Bushnell, with all of those apparently being at the Sumter Correctional Institution (105 inmates and 16 staff members). Another 62 are being reported in The Villages, while other cases have been identified in Lake Panasoffkee (22), Oxford (16), Wildwood (9), Webster (8), Lady Lake portion of the county (6), Sumterville (5) and Coleman (3). The federal prison in Coleman also is reporting seven cases among three inmates and four staff members.

Lake County is reporting 291 cases, including one that was identified Friday at the Vista Lake Assisted Living facility in Leesburg. The overall cases are divided among 134 men, 143 women and 14 non-residents. There have been 15 deaths and 75 people have been seen at area hospitals.

The majority of the Lake County cases – 92 – are in Clermont. Another 45 have been reported in Leesburg, 15 in Lady Lake, eight in The Villages portion of the county and five in Fruitland Park. Other Lake County cases have been identified in Eustis (23), Tavares (20), Groveland (17), Mount Dora (16), Mascotte (12), Minneola (6), Sorrento (3), Howey-in-the-Hills (3), Montverde (2), Altoona (2), Okahumpka (1), Umatilla (1), Grand Island (1), Paisley (1) and Yalaha (1).

Marion County now has 243 cases among 105 men, 133 women and five non-residents. Thirty-three people also have been hospitalized.

The overwhelming majority of Marion County cases – 172 – have been reported in Ocala, with another 26 in Summerfield and at least one in The Villages. Other Marion County patients have been identified in Dunnellon (11), Citra (10), Belleview (8), Citra (8), Ocklawaha (4), Anthony (3), Reddick (2) and Silver Springs (1).

It’s unclear if any of the Summerfield cases are in the retirement communities of Del Webb Spruce Creek, Stonecrest or Spruce Creek South, as that specific information isn’t provided by the Florida Department of Health.

All told, Florida is reporting 54,497 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 1,212 in a 24-hour period. Of those, 53,114 are residents. There have been 2,413 deaths and 9,982 people have been treated at hospitals across the Sunshine State.

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