Twelve more tri-county residents have died of COVID-19 as Gov. DeSantis promised Tuesday to sign an order allowing visitors back into long-term care facilities with some restrictions in place.
Three of the fatalities were from Sumter County, two were from Lake County and seven were from Marion County. They were identified Tuesday by the Florida Department of Health as:
- 81-year-old Sumter County woman who tested positive July 28;
- 82-year-old Sumter County man who tested positive Aug. 4;
- 74-year-old Sumter County man who tested positive July 28;
- 93-year-old Lake County woman who tested positive Aug. 12;
- 89-year-old Lake County woman who tested positive Aug. 23;
- 50-year-old Marion County man who tested positive June 25;
- 87-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Aug. 12;
- 94-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive Aug. 17;
- 80-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Aug. 18;
- 76-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive Aug. 19;
- 73-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive Aug. 31; and
- 51-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Aug. 31.
DeSantis’ decision follows the recommendations of a nursing home task force that has been meeting to discuss the issue. That group has recommended that families visit loved ones two at a time and wear protective equipment, including masks. The facilities would be required to go 14 days without any new COVID-19 cases among residents or employees in order to allow visitors.
The order will allow families of more than 150,000 people the opportunity to visit with them for the first time in months. It’s been a particularly pertinent issue locally, where many residents throughout The Villages and surrounding communities are being cared for in long-term care facilities.
Otherwise, 67 new COVID-19 cases were reported in and around The Villages on Tuesday for a total of 3,128. Those include:
- The Villages (Sumter, Lake and Marion counties) up five for a total of 534;
- Leesburg up 44 for a total of 1,065;
- Lady Lake up three for a total of 245;
- Belleview up eight for a total of 317;
- Fruitland Park up one for a total of 132;
- Summerfield up two for a total of 341;
- Wildwood up three for a total of 350;
- Oxford up one for a total of 109;
- Lady Lake portion of Sumter County 35 cases (no increase).
Below is a breakdown of COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 17,001 – increase of 257
- Men: 7,394
- Women: 9,323
- Non-residents: 62
- People listed as unknown: 222
- Deaths: 358
- Hospitalizations: 1,408
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 1,881 – increase of 29
- Men: 957
- Women: 898
- Non-residents: 9
- People listed as unknown: 17
- Deaths: 53
- Hospitalizations: 214
- Area/cities with most cases: The Villages (505), Wildwood (350), Coleman (291), Bushnell (272) and Oxford (109).
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 6,538 – increase of 142
- Men: 3,014
- Women: 3,342
- Non-residents: 40
- People listed as unknown: 142
- Deaths: 118
- Hospitalizations: 421
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (1,647), Leesburg (1,065), Tavares (702), Eustis (535) and Mount Dora (477).
MARION COUNTY
- Cases: 8,582 – increase of 86
- Men: 3,423
- Women: 5,083
- Non-residents: 13
- People listed as unknown: 63
- Deaths: 187
- Hospitalizations: 773
- Cities with most cases: Ocala (6,763), Summerfield (341), Belleview (317), Dunnellon (278) and Citra (162).
All told, Florida is reporting 631,040 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 7,560 from Monday to Tuesday. Of those, 624,116 are residents. There have been 11,521 deaths and 38,859 people have been hospitalized across the Sunshine State.
It’s unclear how the COVID-19 numbers being reported Tuesday might have been skewed by the 75,000 results Quest Diagnostic dumped into the portal system this week. DeSantis ordered the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Tuesday to sever ties with the private national lab for failing to follow Florida law and report all COVID-19 results in a timely manner.
