Seven more local residents have succumbed to COVID-19 as the tri-county area neared 70,000 cumulative cases of the virus since March 2020 when the pandemic first hit the Sunshine State.
Five of the latest local fatalities were in Lake County and the other two were in Marion County. They are among the 1,867 tri-county area deaths, the 36,184 in Florida and the 579,125 across the country, statistics from the Florida Department of Health and Johns Hopkins University show.
All told, Florida is reporting 2,253,929 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 4,394 from Tuesday to Wednesday. Of those, 2,211,728 are residents. A total of 84,954 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 32,457 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 91,425 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, Marion County is reporting 31,052 cases – an increase of 59 in a 24-hour period. There have been 960 deaths and 2,169 people have been hospitalized. A total of 135,017 people have been vaccinated, with 103,900 receiving both doses.
Ocala continues to pace Marion County with 22,705 cases – an overnight increase of 42. Others have been identified in Summerfield (1,924), Dunnellon (1,438), Belleview (1,370), Silver Springs (685), Ocklawaha (522), Citra (511), Fort McCoy (320), Reddick (314), Anthony (299), Weirsdale (250), The Villages (183), Salt Springs (50), Flemington (34), McIntosh (31), Sparr (26), Orange Lake (26), Candler (20), Lowell (19), 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: 69,957 – increase of 131
- Deaths: 1,867
- Hospitalizations: 4,277
LAKE COUNTY
- Cases: 29,593 – increase of 67
- Deaths: 632
- Hospitalizations: 1,530
- Vaccinations: 167,320 (131,544 both doses)
- Cities with most cases: Clermont (7,934), Leesburg (4,435), Eustis (2,591), Mount Dora (2,158) and Tavares (2,039).
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 9,312 – increase of 5
- Deaths: 275
- Hospitalizations: 578
- Vaccinations: 83,876 (71,342 both doses)
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (4,258), Wildwood (1,089), Bushnell (1,035), Coleman (852) and Oxford (541).