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The Villages
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Five more Villagers suffering from COVID-19 as outbreak plagues Florida

Five more Villagers have tested positive for COVID-19 as Florida and the tri-county area continue to see a renewed outbreak of the potentially deadly virus.

All five of The Villages residents live in the Sumter County portion of the mega-retirement community, where 100 of the 112 cases in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown have been identified. Of the others, 10 are in Lake County and two are in the Marion County section of the sprawling retirement community.

No specific information about those Villagers was released Sunday by the Florida Department of Health, but the latest patients in Sumter County were identified as:

  • 28-year-old male;
  • 76-year-old female;
  • 60-year-old female;
  • 24-year-old female;
  • 77-year-old female;
  • 20-year-old male;
  • 67-year-old female; and
  • 68-year-old male.

Twenty new Coronavirus cases also were reported in communities just outside the confines of The Villages. Those include:

  • Leesburg up 10 for a total of 157;
  • Summerfield up three for a total of 54;
  • Belleview up one for a total of 36;
  • Lady Lake up two for a total of 33;
  • Fruitland Park up one for a total of 16; and
  • Wildwood up three for a total of 15.

As of Sunday, the tri-county area was reporting 2,150 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 135 from Saturday to Sunday – among 1,092 men, 1,025 women, 26 non-residents and seven people listed as unknown. There have been 49 deaths and 223 people have been hospitalized.

Lake County continues to pace the tri-county area with 1,192 cases, or 55.5 percent of those reported in the local area. Those are divided among 591 men, 578 women, 17 non-residents and six people listed as unknown. There have been 22 deaths and 109 people have required some form of hospital care.

Clermont remains the leader among Coronavirus cases in Lake County with 295 – an increase of 28 in a 24-hour period. Other cases have been identified in Tavares (211, at least 119 of which are at the Lake County Jail), Eustis (121), Mount Dora (68), Groveland (64), Sorrento (30), Minneola (27), Umatilla (18), Mascotte (20), Montverde (12), Howey-in-the-Hills (11), Grand Island (7), Okahumpka (7), Altoona (5), Astor (4), Paisley (3), Astatula (3) and Yalaha (6).

Sumter County is now reporting 327 cases – an increase of eight in a 24-hour period – among 220 men, 104 women and three non-residents. There have been 17 deaths and 48 people have been hospitalized.

Bushnell continues to lead the way in Sumter County with 126 cases – 120 of which are at the Sumter Correctional Institution. Others have been identified in Lake Panasoffkee (22), Oxford (22), Webster (12), Lady Lake portion of the county (7), Coleman (7), Center Hill (6) and Sumterville (5). The federal prison in Coleman also has identified eight cases among seven staff members and one inmate.

Marion County increased by 33 cases for a total of 631. Those are divided among 281 men, 343 women, six non-residents and one person listed as unknown. There have been 10 deaths and 66 people have been seen in area hospitals.

The overwhelming majority of Marion County cases – 422 – have been identified in Ocala, which saw an increase of 20 overnight. Other cases have been reported in Dunnellon (25), Citra (16), Ocklawaha (12), Silver Springs (7), Reddick (6), Weirsdale (6), Anthony (5), Fort McCoy (2) and Lowell (1).

All told, Florida is reporting 141,075 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 8,530 in a 24-hour period. Of those, 138,567 are residents. There have been 3,419 deaths and 14,244 people have been hospitalized across the Sunshine State. Those numbers show 29 more deaths since Wednesday and an additional 108 people being treated in hospitals.

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