Six more local residents have succumbed to COVID-19 as new cases of the deadly virus continued to rise rapidly on Christmas Eve across the tri-county area and Florida.
Five of the latest fatalities lived in Marion County, while the sixth one was a resident of Lake County. They are among the 849 deaths in the tri-county area, the 21,295 across the state and the 328,095 across the country who have lost the battle with the fast-spreading virus.
Locally, Lake County is reporting 14,280 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 218 in a 24-hour period. There have been 287 deaths and 973 people hospitalized.
Leesburg is reporting 2,251 cases – an overnight increase of 35. Others have been identified in Clermont (3,785), Eustis (1,145), Tavares (1,105), Mount Dora (1,104), Groveland (994), Lady Lake (789), Sorrento (392), Minneola (383), Fruitland Park (379), Mascotte (330), Umatilla (308), Montverde (193), Grand Island (163), Howey-in-the-Hills (117), Astatula (108), The Villages (88), Altoona (78), Paisley (59), Astor (57), Yalaha (39), Okahumpka (28), Ferndale (8) and Mount Plymouth (7).
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 35,532 – increase of 445
- Deaths: 849
- Hospitalizations: 2,634
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 4,657 – increase of 68
- Deaths: 117
- Hospitalizations: 372
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (1,867), Coleman (730), Wildwood (640), Bushnell (515) and Oxford (261).
MARION COUNTY
- Cases: 16,595 – increase of 159
- Deaths: 445
- Hospitalizations: 1,289
- Cities with most cases: Ocala (12,519), Summerfield (938), Dunnellon (712), Belleview (654) and Citra (284).
All told, Florida is reporting 1,247,546 cases – an increase of 13,147 from Wednesday to Thursday. Of those, 1,226,530 are residents. A total of 62,868 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 27,059 in correctional facilities. Across the state, there have been 21,295 deaths and 61,100 people have been hospitalized.