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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Massive spike in cases of deadly COVID-19 virus reported in Ocala

The COVID-19 virus exploded across Ocala on Monday as the city reported an additional 514 cases of the deadly virus – the largest single-day jump in months.

Overall, Ocala is now reporting 9,731 cases, placing the city 20th on the list of Florida cities with the most cases across the state. Those cases account for 78.2 percent of the 12,443 positive results reported in Marion County.

It’s unclear if all these cases were identified from Sunday to Monday, as the overall number of cases across the tri-county area aren’t showing as large of an increase. Given the history of data reported by the Florida Department of Health, it’s likely that these cases hadn’t been reported yet and actually reflect the actual numbers in the various tri-county communities, many of which also experienced significant jumps in the number of cases.

One additional COVID-19 death also was reported in Lake County on Monday. But the Florida Department of Health didn’t provide any specific information about the latest local fatality.

Marion County’s cases are divided among 5,144 men, 7,250 women, 36 non-residents and 13 people listed as unknown. A total of 1,185 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 2,260 in correctional facilities. There have been 374 deaths and 1,151 people treated in area hospitals.

In addition to the cases reported in Ocala, others have been identified in Summerfield (542), Dunnellon (486), Belleview (471), Citra (222), Silver Springs (207), Ocklawaha (173), Reddick (114), Fort McCoy (92), Weirsdale (89), Anthony (87), The Villages (59), Flemington (33), Salt Springs (24), Orange Lake (13), Sparr (10), Candler (10), McIntosh (9), Lowell (7), Morriston (5), East Lake (5), Orange Springs (2) and Fairfield (1). A total of 1,429 cases have been reported among inmates (1,318) and staff members (111) at Lowell Correctional Institution and Marion Correctional Institution.

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

TRI-COUNTY AREA

  • Cases: 25,902 – increase of 125
  • Men: 11,678
  • Women: 13,920
  • Non-residents: 141
  • People listed as unknown: 163
  • Deaths: 711
  • Hospitalizations: 2,280

LAKE COUNTY

  • Cases: 10,151 – increase of 67
  • Men: 4,675
  • Women: 5,259
  • Non-residents: 86
  • People listed as unknown: 131
  • Cases in long-term care facilities: 739
  • Cases in correctional facilities: 283
  • Deaths: 245
  • Hospitalizations: 817
  • Cities with most cases: Clermont (2,694), Leesburg (1,720), Tavares (908), Eustis (852) and Mount Dora (795).

SUMTER COUNTY

  • Cases: 3,308 – increase of 16
  • Men: 1,859
  • Women: 1,411
  • Non-residents: 19
  • People listed as unknown: 19
  • Cases in long-term care facilities: 226
  • Cases in correctional facilities: 800
  • Deaths: 92
  • Hospitalizations: 312
  • Area/cities with most cases: The Villages (1,042), Coleman (716), Wildwood (521), Bushnell (419, 156 of which are at the Sumter Correctional Institution among 106 inmates and 50 staff members) and Oxford (170). The federal prison in Coleman also is reporting 115 cases among eight inmates and 107 staff members.

All told, Florida is reporting 944,745 cases – an increase of 6,331 from Sunday to Monday. Of those, 930,728 are residents. A total of 55,109 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 25,526 in correctional facilities. Across the state, there have been 18,310 deaths and 53,499 people have been hospitalized.