The Villages reported a significant jump in the number of new COVID-19 cases on Friday as another student at The Villages Charter School tested positive for the potentially deadly virus.
A total of 311 new COVID-19 cases were reported in and around The Villages for a total of 12,038. Those include:
- The Villages (Sumter, Lake and Marion counties) up 174 for a total of 3,349;
- Leesburg up 40 for a total of 3,242;
- Summerfield up 40 for a total of 1,448;
- Belleview up 23 for a total of 977;
- Lady Lake up 15 for a total of 1,188;
- Wildwood up 10 for a total of 810;
- Fruitland Park up 7 for a total of 543;
- Oxford up 1 for a total of 384; and
- Lady Lake portion of Sumter County up 1 for a total of 97.-
The Villages Charter School is now reporting a total of 51 COVID-19 cases among students since classes started in August – 45.1 percent of the 113 student cases in all Sumter County schools. The latest positive result was reported Thursday and so far has been the only one identified this week at the school that largely educates children of the Developer’s family, Villages employees and those who work in various businesses in the mega-retirement community.
Also on Friday, two more local deaths were reported from the Coronavirus. Both of the latest fatalities lived in Marion County and they are among the 1,122 tri-county deaths, the 25,405 in Florida and the 412,780 across the country.
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 49,992 – increase of 412
- Deaths: 1,122
- Hospitalizations: 3,035
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 6,646 – increase of 41
- Deaths: 170
- Hospitalizations: 432
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (3,029), Coleman (812), Wildwood (810), Bushnell (726) and Oxford (384).
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 20,296 – increase of 168
- Deaths: 392
- Hospitalizations: 1,108
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (5,354), Leesburg (3,242), Eustis (1,820), Mount Dora (1,579) and Tavares (1,484). The Villages also is reporting 144 cases.
MARION COUNTY
- Cases: 23,050 – increase of 203
- Deaths: 560
- Hospitalizations: 1,495
- Cities with most cases: Ocala (17,126), Summerfield (1,448), Dunnellon (1,019), Belleview (977) and Silver Springs (408). The Villages also is reporting 176 cases.
All told, Florida is reporting 1,627,603 cases – an increase of 13,719 from Thursday to Friday. Of those, 1,597,849 are residents. A total of 73,440 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 28,584 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 69,735 people have been hospitalized.
