On the day when 10 more tri-county residents and 62 Floridians joined the list of COVID-19 victims, a local health department official issued a warning to residents about the virus.
All 10 of the latest fatalities were residents of Marion County. They are among the 1,695 tri-county deaths, the 32,543 in Florida and the 525,009 across the country.
On Wednesday, Dr. Sanford Zelnick, director of the Sumter County Department of Health, issued a warning to residents who might let COVID-19 precautions slips because the number of new cases across Florida continues to fall.
Zelnick said that as hospital in-patient admissions continue to decrease, residents are seeing a gradual relaxation of some of the precautions regarding various community activities and events.
“It would be wise to continue to take precautions as this pandemic is not yet over,” Zelnick said. “Specifically, if you are meeting with others whom you know have been completely vaccinated for several weeks (allowing immunity to build up), it would be reasonable to meet in small gatherings, unmasked if you choose to do so and are similarly fully vaccinated.”
But Zelnick said that doesn’t hold true for indoor gatherings where you might now know the vaccination status of others in attendance.
“It is wise to continue to wear a face covering, even if you have been fully vaccinated,” he said. “In such indoor events, you should continue to socially distance as you are able and wash your hands both before the indoor event takes place and shortly afterward.”
All told, Florida is reporting 1,957,586 cases – an increase of 4,853 from Tuesday to Wednesday. Of those, 1,921,548 are residents. A total of 81,793 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 31,151 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 81,564 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, Marion County is reporting 28,193 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 46. There have been 877 deaths and 1,822 people have been hospitalized.
Ocala continues to lead Marion County with 20,698 COVID-19 cases – an overnight increase of 35. Others have been identified in Summerfield (1,755), Dunnellon (1,271), Belleview (1,220), Silver Springs (599), Citra (473), Ocklawaha (456), Fort McCoy (287), Reddick (284), Anthony (266), Weirsdale (220), The Villages (181), Salt Springs (49), Flemington (34), McIntosh (30), Sparr (22), Orange Lake (22), Lowell (19), Candler (18), East Lake (11), Fairfield (8), Orange Springs (8) and Morriston (6).
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 61,752 – increase of 126
- Deaths: 1,695
- Hospitalizations: 3,676
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 25,312 – increase of 60
- Deaths: 576
- Hospitalizations: 1,335
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (6,626), Leesburg (3,894), Eustis (2,228), Mount Dora (1,910) and Tavares (1,836).
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 8,247 – increase of 20
- Deaths: 242
- Hospitalizations: 519
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (3,924), Wildwood (965), Bushnell (868), Coleman (832) and Oxford (466).