On the day when the local area reported three more COVID-19 fatalities and 53 more deaths were recorded across the Sunshine State, the Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer’s Coronavirus vaccine for children down to age 12.
Two of the latest local fatalities were in Marion County, while the third one was in Sumter County. They are among the 1,889 tri-county area deaths, the 36,498 in Florida and the 582,037 across the country, statistics provided by the Florida Department of Health and Johns Hopkins University show.
The popular two-dose vaccine was approved last December for teens 16 and up. The OK for giving the vaccination to younger children comes at a time when the United States is seeing a steady decline in people getting their first vaccine dose.
Earlier this month, Moderna said its vaccine was quite effective in an initial review of a clinical trial involving 3,000 teens. Johnson & Johnson, which recently faced a halt because of blood clot issues in some females who received the vaccine, also has been testing its doses in children ages 12-17 years of age.
All told, Florida is reporting 2,272,102 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 2,296 from Sunday to Monday. Of those, 2,229,567 are residents. A total of 85,182 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 32,543 in correctional facilities. Across the state, there have been 36,498 deaths and 92,125 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, Marion County is reporting 31,281 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 30 in a 24-hour period. There have been 968 deaths and 2,181 people have been hospitalized. A total of 138,324 people have been vaccinated, with 111,582 receiving both doses.
Ocala continues to pace Marion County with 22,874 cases – an overnight increase of 25. Others have been identified in Summerfield (1,934), Dunnellon (1,452), Belleview (1,374), Silver Springs (688), Ocklawaha (529), Citra (513), Fort McCoy (327), Reddick (315), Anthony (301), Weirsdale (254), The Villages (183), Salt Springs (51), Flemington (34), McIntosh (31), Sparr (27), Orange Lake (26), Candler (20), Lowell (20), East Lake (12), Fairfield (8) and Orange Springs (8).
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 70,522 – increase of 63
- Deaths: 1,889
- Hospitalizations: 4,301
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 29,885 – increase of 29
- Deaths: 642
- Hospitalizations: 1,541
- Vaccinations: 170,590 (138,497 both doses)
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (8,003), Leesburg (4,483), Eustis (2,613), Mount Dora (2,167) and Groveland (2,066).
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 9,356 – increase of 4
- Deaths: 279
- Hospitalizations: 579
- Vaccinations: 84,262 (72,977 both doses)
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (4,265), Wildwood (1,093), Bushnell (1,040), Coleman (853) and Oxford (547).