Three more local residents have succumbed to COVID-19 as Florida topped 1.8 million cases of the fast-spreading virus on Thursday.
Two of the latest local fatalities lived in Lake County and the other one was a resident of Marion County. They are among the 1,381 COVID-related deaths across the tri-county area, the 28,871 in Florida and the 474,554 across the country.
All told, Florida is reporting 1,806,805 cases – an increase of 8,525 from Wednesday to Thursday. Of those, 1,774,013 are residents. A total of 79,072 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 30,242 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 75,454 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, Marion County is reporting 25,948 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 130 in a 24-hour period. There have been 672 deaths and 1,612 people have been hospitalized.
Ocala continues to lead Marion County with 19,164 cases – an overnight increase of 96. Others have been identified in Summerfield (1,630), Dunnellon (1,182), Belleview (1,094), Silver Springs (504), Citra (435), Ocklawaha (397), Reddick (266), Fort McCoy (245), Anthony (238), Weirsdale (202), The Villages (176), Salt Springs (47), Flemington (34), McIntosh (27), Sparr (21), Orange Lake (20), Lowell (18), Candler (17), Fairfield (8), East Lake (7), Orange Springs (7) and Morriston (5).
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 56,569 – increase of 286
- Deaths: 1,381
- Hospitalizations: 3,318
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 23,099 – increase of 110
- Deaths: 494
- Hospitalizations: 1,211
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (6,024), Leesburg (3,638), Eustis (2,056), Mount Dora (1,779) and Tavares (1,703).
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 7,522 – increase of 46
- Deaths: 215
- Hospitalizations: 495
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (3,514), Wildwood (900), Bushnell (825), Coleman (818) and Oxford (435).