Twelve more local residents have succumbed to COVID-19 as Florida continued to see a post-spring break increase in new cases and the virus reared its head at The Villages Charter School again.
Seven of the latest fatalities were Lake County residents and five lived in Marion County. They are among the 1,820 tri-county area deaths, the 34,626 in Florida and the 560,946 across the country, statistics provided by the Florida Department of Health and Johns Hopkins University show.
Another case of the potentially deadly COVID-19 virus was reported Thursday at The Villages Charter School, bringing the total number of positive results identified at the facility among students since classes started in August 2020 to 93. That number also represents 41.7 percent of the 223 cases reported among students in all Sumter County public schools.
All told, Florida is reporting 2,111,807 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 7,121 from Thursday to Friday. Of those, 2,072,053 are residents. A total of 83,521 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 31,780 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 86,706 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, 53 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday in and around The Villages for a cumulative total of 15,924. Those include:
- The Villages (Sumter, Lake and Marion counties) up 4 for a total of 4,534;
- Leesburg up 21 for a total of 4,153;
- Wildwood up 7 for a total of 1,039
- Oxford up 5 for a total of 513;
- Lady Lake up 5 for a total of 1,637;
- Summerfield up 5 for a total of 1,841;
- Belleview up 4 for a total of 1,296;
- Fruitland Park up 1 for a total of 772; and
- Lady Lake portion of Sumter County up 1 for a total of 139.
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 65,910 – increase of 222
- Deaths: 1,820
- Hospitalizations: 4,033
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 8,956 – increase of 33
- Deaths: 263
- Hospitalizations: 562
- Vaccinations: 77,465 (58,787 both doses)
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (4,172), Wildwood (1,039), Bushnell (968), Coleman (849) and Oxford (513).
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 27,447 – increase of 126
- Deaths: 619
- Hospitalizations: 1,449
- Vaccinations: 136,063 (84,805 both doses)
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (7,248), Leesburg (4,153), Eustis (2,416), Mount Dora (2,045) and Tavares (1,929). The Villages also is reporting 179 cases.
MARION COUNTY
- Cases: 29,507 – increase of 63
- Deaths: 938
- Hospitalizations: 2,022
- Vaccinations: 109,168 (71,668 both doses)
- Cities with most cases: Ocala (21,593), Summerfield (1,841), Dunnellon (1,353), Belleview (1,296) and Silver Springs (638). The Villages also is reporting 183 cases.
