Three more local residents have succumbed to COVID-19 as Florida reported its biggest increase in the number of new cases in five months.
Two of the latest fatalities lived in Marion County and the other was a resident of Lake County. They are among the 815 who have died of the virus in the tri-county area, the 20,490 across Florida and the 308,908 deaths across the country.
All told, Florida is reporting 1,168,483 cases – an increase of 13,148 from Wednesday to Thursday. Of those, 1,149,126 are residents. A total of 60,630 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 26,465 in correctional facilities. Across the state, there have been 20,493 deaths and 59,291 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, Marion County is reporting 15,433 cases – an increase of 215 in a 24-hour period. There have been 430 deaths and 1,245 people hospitalized.
The vast majority of cases in Marion County – 11,744 – have been reported in Ocala, which saw an increase of 145 overnight. That represents 76 percent of all of the cases of the deadly virus in Marion County.
Other cases have been identified in Summerfield (803), Dunnellon (646), Belleview (607), Citra (269), Silver Springs (265), Ocklawaha (222), Reddick (133), Fort McCoy (127), Anthony (111), Weirsdale (107), The Villages (58), Flemington (34), Salt Springs (27), Candler (14), McIntosh (13), Orange Lake (13), Sparr (10), Lowell (8), Morriston (6), East Lake (5), Orange Springs (3) and Fairfield (3).
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 32,620 – increase of 521
- Deaths: 815
- Hospitalizations: 2,528
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 12,966 – increase of 239
- Deaths: 276
- Hospitalizations: 921
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (3,441), Leesburg (2,064), Eustis (1,047), Tavares (1,026) and Mount Dora (1,008).
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 4,221 – increase of 67
- Deaths: 109
- Hospitalizations: 362
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (1,602), Coleman (728), Wildwood (586), Bushnell (483) and Oxford (232).