Another Lake County resident has succumbed to the Coronavirus as Florida reported nearly 9,000 new cases Friday – including those in Ocala and surrounding areas.
The latest victim was identified as an 88-year-old woman who tested positive on June 19. No other specific information was released about the woman, who became the 22nd fatality in Lake County and the 49th in the tri-county area.
Marion County is reporting 524 cases – an increase of 31 – among 226 men, 293 women and five non-residents. There have been 10 deaths and 64 people have been seen in area hospitals.
The overwhelming majority of Marion County cases – 347 – have been reported in Ocala. Others have been identified in Summerfield (51), Belleview (30), Dunnellon (22), Citra (15), Ocklawaha (9), Silver Springs (7), Anthony (5), Reddick (5), Weirsdale (4), Fort McCoy (2) and The Villages (2).
The newest Marion County cases include:
- 18-year-old male;
- 50-year-old male;
- 48-year-old male;
- 21-year-old female;
- 44-year-old male;
- 54-year-old male;
- 65-year-old male;
- 42-year-old female;
- 4-year-old female;
- 28-year-old female;
- 22-year-old female;
- 22-year-old female;
- 29-year-old male;
- 31-year-old female;
- 26-year-old female;
- 19-year-old female;
- 27-year-old male;
- 7-year-old male;
- 65-year-old male;
- 26-year-old male;
- 30-year-old female;
- 59-year-old female;
- 59-year-old male;
- 51-year-old male;
- 30-year-old female;
- 23-year-old female;
- 39-year-old male;
- 24-year-female;
- 33-year-old female;
- 33-year-old female; and
- 22-year-old male.
Standard COVID-19 precautions include staying 6 feet away from others when in public, wearing a cloth face covering when you go into public and it’s difficult to practice social distancing, staying home when you are sick (and self-isolating), avoiding gatherings of 50 or more people, frequently washing your hands and cleaning frequently touched surfaces. Vulnerable individuals should take additional precautions to help reduce possible exposure.
People should also avoid the 3 Cs to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Those are:
- Closed spaces with poor ventilation;
- Crowded places with many others nearby; and
- Close-contact settings, such as close-range conversation.
The risk of a cluster of COVID-19 cases is particularly high when these 3 Cs overlap, health department officials say.
“It’s vital that you follow masking, social distancing and other health precautions to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Florida Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander. “Even if you are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic, you can easily spread the illness to other people. People who are not ill or experiencing symptoms also need to follow safety precautions, because people may not be aware that they have the virus when they are around you, and you could become infected.”
As of Friday, the tri-county area was reporting 1,812 cases – an increase of 130 from Thursday to Friday – among 944 men, 841 women, 24 non-residents and three people listed as unknown. A total of 215 people have been hospitalized with the virus.
Lake County continues to lead the way in the tri-county area with 975 cases – an increase of 94 over a 24-hour period – among 503 men, 452 women, 17 non-residents and three people listed as unknown. There have been 22 deaths and 103 people hospitalized.
Clermont continues to pace Lake County with 267 cases. Others have been reported in Tavares (177, 119 of which are at the Lake County Jail), Leesburg (128), Eustis (98), Mount Dora (55), Groveland (44), Lady Lake (28), Sorrento (26), Minneola (22), Umatilla (16), Mascotte (17), Montverde (12), Fruitland Park (11), The Villages (10), Howey-in-the-Hills (8), Okahumpka (4), Altoona (4), Astor (3), Grand Island (3), Paisley (3), Astatula (3) and Yalaha (2).
Sumter County increased by five cases for a total of 313 among 215 men, 96 women and two non-residents. There have been 17 deaths and 48 people have required some form of hospital care.
Bushnell continues to report the most cases – 126 – in Sumter County. Of those, 120 have been reported at the Sumter Correctional Institution. The Villages also is reporting 92 cases among members of the population who are most vulnerable to the virus.
Other Sumter County cases have been identified in Lake Panasoffkee (22), Oxford (21), Webster (12), Wildwood (11), Lady Lake portion of the county (7), Coleman (7), Sumterville (5) and Center Hill (5). The federal prison in Coleman also has identified seven cases among six staff members and one inmate.
All told, Florida is reporting 122,960 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 8,942 in a 24-hour period. Of those, 120,574 are residents. There have been 3,366 deaths and 13,987 people have been hospitalized across the Sunshine State. Those numbers show 39 more deaths since Wednesday and an additional 212 people being treated in hospitals.