Florida is preparing to drop the age to 60 for those wishing to obtain COVID-19 vaccines but the death toll from the virus across the local area and the state continues to rise.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Florida was reporting 32,481 COVID-19-related deaths – an increase of 132 in a 24-hour period. Nine of those deaths were in Marion County and are among the 1,686 in the tri-county area and the 527,389 across the country, Florida Health Department and Johns Hopkins University statistics show.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this week that the eligibility age for COVID-19 vaccinations would drop to 60 on Monday, March 15. He also hinted that it could drop to 55 in the near future depending on how many doses of the vaccination the state receives in the coming weeks.

The governor said the decision to lower the age requirement was a result of a softening demand for the vaccine among seniors in Florida. He said more than 2.6 million seniors – about 56 percent of the state’s senior population – had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

All told, Florida is reporting 1,952,733 cases – an increase of 4,426 from Monday to Tuesday. Of those, 1,916,774 are residents. A total of 81,728 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 31,128 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 81,331 people have been hospitalized.

Locally, 42 new COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday in and around The Villages. Those include:

  • The Villages (Sumter, Lake and Marion counties) up 10 for a total of 4,265;
  • Lady Lake up 11 for a total of 1,518;
  • Leesburg up 7 for a total of 3,887;
  • Fruitland Park up 4 for a total of 692;
  • Belleview up 4 for a total of 1,219;
  • Wildwood up 2 for a total of 964;
  • Oxford up 2 for a total of 466; and
  • Summerfield up 2 for a total of 1,753.

Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:

TRI-COUNTY AREA

  • Cases: 61,626 – increase of 120
  • Deaths: 242
  • Hospitalizations: 519

SUMTER COUNTY

  • Cases: 8,227 – increase of 21
  • Deaths: 242
  • Hospitalizations: 519
  • Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (3,912), Wildwood (964), Bushnell (868), Coleman (831) and Oxford (466).

LAKE COUNTY

  • Cases: 25,252 – increase of 60
  • Deaths: 577
  • Hospitalizations: 1,328
  • Cities with most cases: Clermont (6,614), Leesburg (3,887), Eustis (2,228), Mount Dora (1,903) and Tavares (1,834). The Villages also is reporting 172 cases.

MARION COUNTY

  • Cases: 28,147 – increase of 39
  • Deaths: 867
  • Hospitalizations: 1,809
  • Cities with most cases: Ocala (20,663), Summerfield (1,753), Dunnellon (1,270), Belleview (1,219) and Silver Springs (599). The Villages also is reporting 181 cases.