More than 9.9 million Floridians have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as Florida reported 96 additional deaths on Friday and another case of the potentially deadly virus was identified at The Villages Charter School.
The latest case at the school in The Villages was identified Thursday. Overall, 259 cases have been reported among Sumter County public school students, with more than 36 percent of those being 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.
A total of 9,916,161 Sunshine State residents have been vaccinated, with 7,874,202 completing the series of doses. Locally, 407,765 tri-county residents have been vaccinated, with 345,084 receiving both doses. Those break down as:
- Sumter County – 86,189 (76,193 both doses);
- Lake County – 170,960 (142,335 both doses); and
- Marion County – 150,616 (126,556 both doses).
All told, Florida is reporting 2,304,860 COVID-19 cases. Of those, 2,261,813 are residents. A total of 85,814 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 32,788 in correctional facilities. Across the state, there have been 37,172 deaths and 93,965 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, 16,991 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in and around The Villages since the pandemic hit Florida in March 2020. Those include:
- The Villages (Sumter, Lake and Marion counties) 4,653;
- Leesburg 4,558;
- Lady Lake 1,764;
- Belleview 1,393;
- Fruitland Park 871;
- Summerfield 1,948;
- Wildwood 1,105;
- Oxford 550; and
- Lady Lake portion of Sumter County 149.
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 71,707
- Deaths: 1,907
- Hospitalizations: 4,391
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 9,431
- Deaths: 279
- Hospitalizations: 585
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (4,280), Wildwood (1,105), Bushnell (1,052), Coleman (855) and Oxford (550).
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 30,622
- Deaths: 646
- Hospitalizations: 1,582
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (8,221), Leesburg (4,558), Eustis (2,666), Mount Dora (2,195) and Groveland (2,111). The Villages also is reporting 190 cases.
MARION COUNTY
- Cases: 31,654
- Deaths: 982
- Hospitalizations: 2,224
- Cities with most cases: Ocala (23,118), Summerfield (1,948), Dunnellon (1,479), Belleview (1,393) and Silver Springs (700). The Villages also is reporting 183 cases.
