Seven more local residents have died of COVID-19 as new cases of the deadly virus continued to be reported Saturday at a rapid clip.
Five of the latest fatalities were in Sumter County and the other two were residents of Lake County. They are among the 830 people who have died in the tri-county area and the 20,764 who have lost the battle with COVID-19 across the state.
It’s been a difficult week for Florida with 76,192 new cases of the virus reported. Thursday marked the high point with 13,148 new positive results.
The tri-county area saw an increase of 2,655 cases this past week. The most – 521 – also were reported on Thursday.
On Saturday, Lake County was reporting 13,341 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 184 in a 24-hour period. There have been 285 deaths and 942 people have been hospitalized.
Leesburg is reporting 2,119 cases – an increase of 33 in a 24-hour period. Others have been identified in Clermont (3,538), Eustis (1,086), Tavares (1,045), Mount Dora (1,043), Groveland (929), Lady Lake (713), Minneola (359), Sorrento (357), Fruitland Park (348), Mascotte (306), Umatilla (290), Montverde (186), Grand Island (151), Howey-in-the-Hills (104), Astatula (95), The Villages (78), Altoona (71), Astor (57), Paisley (57), Yalaha (37), Okahumpka (24), Ferndale (8) and Mount Plymouth (6).
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 33,522 – increase of 405
- Deaths: 830
- Hospitalizations: 2,564
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 4,457 – increase of 44
- Deaths: 114
- Hospitalizations: 364
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (1,672), Coleman (728), Wildwood (606), Bushnell (499) and Oxford (240).
MARION COUNTY
- Cases: 15,824 – increase of 177
- Deaths: 431
- Hospitalizations: 1,258
- Cities with most cases: Ocala (12,009), Summerfield (849), Dunnellon (661), Belleview (626) and Citra (277).
All told, Florida is reporting 1,193,165 cases – an increase of 11,682 from Friday to Saturday. Of those, 1,173,409 are residents. A total of 61,433 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 26,534 in correctional facilities. Across the state, there have been 20,764 deaths and 59,851 people have been hospitalized.
