COVID-19 has claimed six more local residents as the overall number of cases in the tri-county area nears 15,000.

One of the latest victims lived in Sumter County, while two were residents of Lake County and three resided in Marion County. They were described Wednesday by the Florida Department of Health as:

  • 82-year-old Sumter County woman who tested positive July 16 and hadn’t traveled recently;
  • 82-year-old Lake County man who tested positive May 28, hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with someone else suffering from the virus;
  • 89-year-old Lake County man who tested positive Aug. 18;
  • 72-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive July 12, hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with another patient;
  • 87-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Aug. 2, hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with another patient; and
  • 62-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Aug. 10, hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with another patient.

Forty-six new COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday in and around The Villages for a total of 2,708. Those include:

  • The Villages up one for a total of 485;
  • Belleview up 17 for a total of 279;
  • Summerfield up 10 for total of 301;
  • Leesburg up seven for a total of 874;
  • Wildwood up five for a total of 310;
  • Oxford up three for a total of 102;
  • Lady Lake up one for a total of 213;
  • Fruitland Park up one for a total of 115;
  • Lady Lake portion of Sumter county up one for a total of 29.

Overall, the tri-county area is reporting 14,981 cases – an increase of 249 from Tuesday to Wednesday. Those include 6,487 men, 8,248 women, 56 non-residents and 190 people listed as unknown. There have been 258 deaths and 1,166 people hospitalized.

Sumter County now has 1,611 cases – an increase of 25 in a 24-hour period – among 795 men, 801 women, eight non-residents and seven people listed as unknown. There have been 46 deaths and 196 people requiring some form of hospital care.

Bushnell is reporting 255 cases, with 132 of those at the Sumter Correctional Institution among 103 inmates and 29 staff members. Others have been identified in Coleman (174), Lake Panasoffkee (73), Webster (73), Center Hill (43) and Sumterville (29). The federal prison in Coleman also is reporting 341 cases among 245 inmates and 96 staff members.

Lake County now has 5,746 cases – an increase of 58 in 24 hours. Those are comprised of 2,675 men, 2,933 women, 34 non-residents and 114 people listed as unknown. There have been 91 deaths and 338 people hospitalized.

Clermont continues to lead Lake County with 1,482 cases. Others have been identified in Tavares (657), Eustis (484), Mount Dora (423), Groveland (407), Mascotte (188), Minneola (158), Sorrento (137), Umatilla (119), Montverde (86), Grand Island (59), Astatula (44), Howey-in-the-Hills (36), Yalaha (27), Astor (25), Paisley (23), Altoona (22), Okahumpka (16), Ferndale (5) and Mount Plymouth (3).

Marion County continues to pace the tri-county area with 7,614 cases – an increase of 166 overnight – among 3,017 men, 4,514 women, 14 non-residents and 69 people listed as unknown. There have been 121 deaths and 632 people treated in area hospitals.

Of the total Marion County cases, 6,027 – 79.2 percent – have been reported in Ocala. Others have been identified in Dunnellon (239), Citra (152), Silver Springs (91), Ocklawaha (82), Reddick (69), Anthony (45), Weirsdale (41), Fort McCoy (28), Flemington (15), Orange Lake (9), Sparr (5), Lowell (4), McIntosh (4), Candler (3), East Lake (3), Fairfield (2), Orange Springs (2), Morriston (1), Salt Springs (1) and Williston (1). A total of 1,358 cases have been reported among inmates (1,277) and staff members (81) at Lowell Correctional Institution and Marion Correctional Institution.

All told, Florida is reporting 584,047 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 4,115 from Tuesday to Wednesday. Of those, 577,891 are residents. There have been 10,067 deaths and 35,200 people have been hospitalized across the Sunshine State. Those numbers show 147 more deaths since Tuesday and an additional 505 people requiring hospital care.