COVID-19 continued to strike The Villages Charter School on Friday as Florida surpassed 30,000 deaths connected to the virus and the local area saw eight more fatalities.
Two more charter school students were identified as positive for the potentially deadly virus, bringing the total number of cases at the facility that largely educates children of the Developer’s family, Villages employees and those who work in various businesses in the mega-retirement community to 65 since classes started in August 2020. That number represents 42 percent of the 156 cases reported among students in all Sumter County public schools.
Florida is now reporting 30,214 deaths connected to COVID-19 since the pandemic was first reported in the Sunshine State in March. Those victims include three more residents of Lake County, three in Marion County and two who lived in Sumter County. They are among the 1,482 tri-county area deaths and the 495,015 deaths across the country.
All told, Florida is reporting 1,856,427 cases – an increase of 6,683 from Thursday to Friday. Of those, 1,822,644 are residents. A total of 80,264 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 30,637 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 77,408 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, a total of 45 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday in and around The Villages. Those include:
- The Villages (Sumter, Lake and Marion counties) up 19 for a total of 3,954;
- Leesburg up 10 for a total of 3,721;
- Lady Lake up 4 for a total of 1,409;
- Summerfield up 4 for a total of 1,687;
- Wildwood up 3 for a total of 924;
- Belleview up 3 for a total of 1,134;
- Oxford up 1 for a total of 439; and
- Fruitland Park up 1 for a total of 647.
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 58,332 – increase of 168
- Deaths: 1,482
- Hospitalizations: 3,410
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 7,714 – increase of 26
- Deaths: 226
- Hospitalizations: 497
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (3,617), Wildwood (924), Bushnell (842), Coleman (822) and Oxford (439).
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 23,786 – increase of 58
- Deaths: 534
- Hospitalizations: 1,243
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (6,216), Leesburg (3,721), Eustis (2,113), Mount Dora (1,815) and Tavares (1,757). The Villages also is reporting 161 cases.
MARION COUNTY
- Cases: 26,832 – increase of 84
- Deaths: 722
- Hospitalizations: 1,670
- Cities with most cases: Ocala (19,755), Summerfield (1,687), Dunnellon (1,217), Belleview (1,134) and Silver Springs (541). The Villages also is reporting 176 cases.
