Three more local residents have succumbed to COVID-19 as the eligible age for Coronavirus vaccines drops to 50 across Florida on Monday.
One of the latest fatalities lived in Sumter County, where the vast majority of Villages homes are located. One lived in Marion County and the other one was a resident of Lake County. They are among the 1,742 deaths in the tri-county area, the 33,369 in Florida and the 542,246 across the country, according to statistics provided by the Florida Department of Health and Johns Hopkins University.
The eligible age for COVID-19 vaccines officially drops to 50 on Monday, thanks to an executive order signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last week. He said he made the decision after statistics showed that nearly two-thirds of Florida’s seniors had been vaccinated against the deadly virus.
DeSantis also indicated last week that vaccinations could be opened up to all Floridians by May 1 – a directive to states, tribes and territories from President Joe Biden in his first primetime address earlier this month.
“Maybe much sooner than that,” the governor said. “Stay tuned.”
All told, Florida is reporting 2,008,349 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 3,987 from Saturday to Sunday. Of those, 1,971,271 are residents. A total of 82,499 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 31,398 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 83,446 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, Marion County is reporting 28,632 new COVID-19 cases – an increase of 23 in a 24-hour period. Others have been identified in Ocala (20,991), Summerfield (1,787), Dunnellon (1,305), Belleview (1,242), Silver Springs (609), Citra (479), Ocklawaha (461), Fort McCoy (293), Reddick (292), Anthony (272), Weirsdale (224), The Villages (181), Salt Springs (49), Flemington (34), McIntosh (31), Sparr (22), Orange Lake (22), Lowell (19), Candler (19), 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: 63,111 – increase of 70
- Deaths: 1,742
- Hospitalizations: 3,812
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 25,978 – increase of 35
- Deaths: 594
- Hospitalizations: 1,375
- Vaccinations: 102,109 (59,678 both doses)
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (6,824), Leesburg (3,974), Eustis (2,284), Mount Dora (1,942) and Tavares (1,862).
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 8,501 – increase of 12
- Deaths: 243
- Hospitalizations: 536
- Vaccinations: 53,022 (34,007 both doses)
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (4,035), Wildwood (986), Bushnell (903), Coleman (839) and Oxford (486).