3 more local residents die of COVID-19 as tri-county death toll nears 800

Three more local residents have lost the battle against COVID-19, bringing the death toll in the tri-county area to just under 800.

Two of the latest victims were from Sumter County and the third one lived in Marion County. They were identified as:

• 70-year-old Sumter County man who tested positive July 15, hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with someone else suffering from the virus;
• 74-year-old Sumter County woman who tested positive July 18 and hadn’t traveled recently; and
• 72-year-old Ocala woman with underlying health conditions who tested positive July 16, hadn’t traveled recently but had been in contact with another patient.

Forty-two new cases were reported Saturday in and around The Villages. Those include:

• The Villages up 6 for a total of 409;
• Leesburg up 20 for a total of 709;
• Summerfield up 6 for a total of 212;
• Belleview up 6 for a total of 185;
• Lady Lake up 2 for a total of 169;
• Oxford up 1 for a total of 72; and
• Fruitland Park up 1 for a total of 81.

Overall, the tri-county area is reporting 10,772 cases – an increase of 287 from Friday to Saturday – among 4,532 men, 6,083 women, 53 non-residents and 104 people listed as unknown. There have been 144 deaths and 799 people hospitalized.

Sumter County now has 1,091 cases – an increase of 14 in a 24-hour period – among 584 men, 495 women, eight non-residents and four people listed as unknown. There have been 32 deaths and 159 people have required some form of hospital care.

Bushnell now has 206 cases – 128 of which are at the Sumter Correctional Institution among 103 inmates and 25 staff members. Others have been identified in Wildwood (175), Lake Panasoffkee (57), Webster (48), Coleman (40), Center Hill (31), Lady Lake portion of the county (24) and Sumterville (18). The federal prison in Coleman also is reporting 418 cases among 334 inmates and 84 staff members.

Marion County continues to lead the tri-county area with 5,069 cases – an increase of 177 in 24 hours. Those are comprised of 1,817 men, 3,218 women, 13 non-residents and 21 people listed as unknown. There have been 61 deaths and 405 people hospitalized.

The vast majority of Marion County cases – 4,025 – have been reported in Ocala, which saw an overnight increase of 145. Others have been identified in Dunnellon (152), Citra (69), Silver Springs (62), Reddick (60), Ocklawaha (46), Anthony (26), Weirsdale (25), Fort McCoy (13), Orange Lake (7), Lowell (4), Candler (3), East Lake (3), Sparr (2), Fairfield (1), Morriston (1) and Salt Springs (1). A total of 836 cases have been reported among inmates (794) and staff members (42) at Lowell Correctional Institution and Marion Correctional Institution.

Lake County is reporting 4,612 cases – an increase of 96 – among 2,131 men, 2,370 women, 32 non-residents and 79 people listed as unknown. There have been 51 deaths and 235 people seen in area hospitals.

Clermont continues to pace Lake County with 1,143 cases – an increase of 23. Others have been identified in Tavares (575), Eustis (393), Groveland (333), Mount Dora (307), Mascotte (156), Minneola (128), Sorrento (121), Umatilla (91), Montverde (80), Grand Island (46), Howey-in-the-Hills (33), Astatula (28), Astor (23), Yalaha (21), Altoona (18), Paisley (15), Okahumpka (11), Ferndale (5) and Mount Plymouth (3).

All told, Florida is reporting 480,028 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 9,642 from Friday to Saturday. Of those, 474,621 are residents. There have been 7,145 deaths and 26,972 people have been hospitalized across the Sunshine State. Those numbers show 179 more deaths since Friday and an additional 439 people requiring hospital care.