Two more local residents have lost the battle against COVID-19 as the number of cases in the tri-county area topped 10,000 and the deadly virus continued to wreak havoc on Marion County.
The latest fatalities were identified by the Florida Department of Health as:
- 96-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive July 26, hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with someone else suffering from COVID-19; and
- 90-year-old Lake County man who tested positive July 27;
Overall, the tri-county area is now reporting 10,148 cases – an increase of 463 from Wednesday to Thursday – among 4,299 men, 5,696 women, 52 non-residents and 101 people listed as unknown. There have been 134 deaths and 757 people have been hospitalized.
The Villages and the surrounding communities are reporting 36 new cases of COVID-19. Those are broken down as:
- The Villages up by six for a total of 397;
- Leesburg up 13 for a total of 667;
- Lady Lake up seven for a total of 165;
- Wildwood up four for a total of 174;
- Summerfield up four for a total of 204; and
- Belleview up two for a total of 175.
Marion County is now leading the tri-county area with 4,682 cases – an increase of 368 in a 24-hour period. In the past three days, the county has seen an increase of 1,090 patients, with 1,013 of those being identified in Ocala.
The Marion County cases are broken down among 1,692 men, 2,956 women, 13 non-residents and 21 people listed as unknown. There have been 56 deaths and 387 people have required some form of hospital care.
Ocala reported an additional 328 cases overnight for a total of 3,704. Others in Marion County have been identified in Dunnellon (145), Silver Springs (59), Reddick (52), Citra (50), Ocklawaha (43), Weirsdale (25), Anthony (24), Fort McCoy (12), Orange Lake (7), Lowell (4), Candler (3), East Lake (3), The Villages (3), Sparr (2), Fairfield )1), Morriston (1) and Salt Springs (1). A total of 670 cases have been reported among inmates (633) and staff members (37) at Lowell Correctional Institution and Marion Correctional Institution.
Lake County is now reporting 4,408 cases – an increase of 82 – among 2,044 men, 2,256 women, 32 non-residents and 76 people listed as unknown. There have been 51 deaths and 216 people hospitalized.
Clermont continues to pace Lake County with 1,103 cases. Others have been identified in Tavares (557), Eustis (368), Groveland (323), Mount Dora (286), Mascotte (152), Minneola (124), Sorrento (116), Umatilla (80), Montverde (79), Fruitland Park (76), Grand Island (42), Howey-in-the-Hills (33), Astatula (25), Astor (23), Yalaha (20), Altoona (17), Paisley (13), Okahumpka (11), Ferndale (5) and Mount Plymouth (3).
Sumter County is reporting 1,058 cases – an increase of 13 – among 563 men, 484 women, seven non-residents and four people listed as unknown. There have been 27 deaths and 154 people have been seen in area hospitals.
Bushnell is reporting 202 cases – 128 of which are at the Sumter Correctional Institution among 103 inmates and 25 staff members. Others have been identified in Oxford (69), Lake Panasoffkee (57), Webster (45), Coleman (38), Center Hill (31), Lady Lake portion of the county (23) and Sumterville (17). The federal prison in Coleman also is reporting 407 cases among 326 inmates and 81 staff members.
All told, Florida is reporting 461,379 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 9,956 from Wednesday to Thursday. Of those, 456,105 are residents. There have been 6,709 deaths and 26,017 people have been hospitalized across the Sunshine State. Those numbers show 252 more deaths since Wednesday and an additional 518 people requiring hospital care.
