On the day before Florida opens COVID-19 vaccines up to people age 40 and above, the Sunshine State reported just under 5,000 new cases of the deadly virus and 36 more deaths.
By order of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the eligible age for Coronavirus vaccines drops to 40 Monday morning and then goes away one week later. That means beginning April 5, all adults in Florida will be eligible to get the vaccine against the still-fasting-spreading virus.
The drop in the eligible age for the vaccine comes after DeSantis lowered the age to 50 after declaring that more than 70 percent of Florida’s seniors have received vaccinations.
As of Sunday, more than 5.6 million Floridians had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 3 million receiving the completed series. A total of 281,274 people have been vaccinated in the tri-county area, with 166,817 of those receiving both doses.
All told, Florida is reporting 2,044,005 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 4,943 from Saturday to Sunday. Of those, 2,006,118 are residents. A total of 82,852 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 31,544 in correctional facilities. Across the state, there have been 33,819 deaths and 84,644 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, Marion County is reporting 28,926 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 37 in a 24-hour period. There have been 916 deaths and 1,958 people have been hospitalized.
Ocala continues to pace Marion County with 21,185 cases – an overnight increase of 25. Others have been identified in Summerfield (1,806), Dunnellon (1,320), Belleview (1,259), Silver Springs (619), Citra (482), Ocklawaha (471), Reddick (301), Fort McCoy (299), Anthony (275), Weirsdale (225), The Villages (181), Salt Springs (49), Flemington (34), McIntosh (30), Orange Lake (24), Sparr (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: 64,147 – increase of 110
- Deaths: 1,760
- Hospitalizations: 3,912
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 26,470 – increase of 52
- Deaths: 600
- Hospitalizations: 1,405
- Vaccinations: 115,782 (65,117 both doses)
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (6,957), Leesburg (4,030), Eustis (2,332), Mount Dora (1,976) and Tavares (1,883).
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 8,751 – increase of 21
- Deaths: 244
- Hospitalizations: 549
- Vaccinations: 73,308 (46,350 both doses)
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (4,122), Wildwood (1,006), Bushnell (935), Coleman (840) and Oxford (500).