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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

More than 4,700 new COVID-19 cases in Florida as vaccines open to all adults

Florida reported more than 4,700 new cases of COVID-19 and 22 more fatalities Sunday as the state geared up to offer vaccinations to adults of all ages.

Beginning Monday, adults age 18 and above are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines across the Sunshine state. Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement that he was removing the age eligibility requirements in late March after more than 3.2 million people age 65 and older – more than 70 percent of the Sunshine State’s seniors – had received doses of the coveted vaccinations.

As of Sunday, more than 6.2 million Floridians had been vaccinated – with more than 3.6 million having received both doses. Of those, 1,898,439 have been administered to seniors ages 65-74 years of age, followed by 1,284,975 in the 55-64 age group and 1,108,181 in the 75-84-year-old category.

In the tri-county area, 304,002 residents have been vaccinated. Of those, 196,530 have received both doses of the vaccine, Florida Department of Health statistics show.

All told, Florida is reporting 2,081,826 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 4,794 from Saturday to Sunday. Of those, 2,042,881 are residents. A total of 83,177 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 31,698 in correctional facilities. Across the state, there have been 34,328 deaths and 85,748 people have been hospitalized.

Locally, Marion County is reporting 29,260 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 35. There have been 926 deaths and 1,983 people have been hospitalized.

Ocala continues to lead Marion County with 21,424 cases – an overnight increase of 29. Others have been identified in Summerfield (1,829), Dunnellon (1,343), Belleview (1,277), Silver Springs (631), Citra (482), Ocklawaha (478), Reddick (302), Fort McCoy (300), Anthony (276), Weirsdale (231), The Villages (183), Salt Springs (49), Flemington (34), McIntosh (30), Orange Lake (24), Sparr (22), Lowell (19), Candler (19), East Lake (11), Fairfield (8) and Orange Springs (8).

Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:

TRI-COUNTY AREA

  • Cases: 65,111 – increase of 110
  • Deaths: 1,797
  • Hospitalizations: 3,965

LAKE COUNTY

  • Cases: 26,983 – increase of 59
  • Deaths: 610
  • Hospitalizations: 1,421
  • Vaccinations: 126,369 (77,604 both doses)
  • Cities with most cases: Clermont (7,103), Leesburg (4,098), Eustis (2,374), Mount Dora (2,015) and Tavares (1,906).

SUMTER COUNTY

  • Cases: 8,868 – increase of 16
  • Deaths: 261
  • Hospitalizations: 561
  • Vaccinations: 75,978 (54,577 both doses)
  • Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (4,155), Wildwood (1,024), Bushnell (956), Coleman (844) and Oxford (507).