COVID-19 in Ocala/Marion schools: 27 new cases reported during week ending May 6

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Marion County Public Schools jumped to 27 for the week ending May 6, up from 11 during the previous week, though still far below the record 1,014 omicron cases in January.

The total for seven days was nine for the week ending April 15 and six for the week ending April 8. The number was 26 for the week ending March 11, according to the Marion County Public Schools' weekly report, which was released Tuesday.

The district has seen a vast overall decline in cases. There were 513 for Jan. 29-Feb. 4. The one-week record for school cases was 1,014 for Jan. 15-21.

April 30-May 6: 11 for week ending April 29

April 23-29: Seven new cases for week ending April 22

April 9-15: Cases tick up, but far below surge levels

The latest school report showed that 20 students and seven employees tested positive for COVID-19 during the week ending May 6.

The number of people placed in quarantine increased to 104 (103 students and one employee) for the week ending May 6. The total was 28 for the week ending April 29 and 20 for week ending April 22.

To put the low quarantine numbers in perspective, the total was 1,766 for Jan. 22-28, 1,843 for Jan. 15-21 and 2,219 for Jan. 8-14.

The record for weekly quarantines, which was set during the Delta wave in Marion County schools, was 3,404 in mid-August 2021.

The latest numbers for all of Marion County

For all of Marion County, 516 cases were recorded for April 22-May 5, up from 280 cases for April 8-21, 160 for March 25-April 7 and 123 for March 11-24. The state now releases case numbers every two weeks, with the next report due out May 20.

The Marion County weekly record of 5,536 cases was reported for Jan. 7-13, just a month after the total was 146 for Dec. 3-9. The total number of Marion residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 is now 84,120.

Marion County hospitalizations decreased to 13 in the past week

Marion County's seven-day total of new COVID-19 hospitalizations was 13 on Monday, down from 18 on May 2. The number was 13 on April 25 and 11 on April 18, according to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Last fall, during a spike attributed to the delta variant, the record hit 350. In the past two weeks, the CDC reported that fewer than 10 Marion residents were added to the death toll from COVID-19. The total number of Marion deaths is about 2,100.

The seven-day positivity rate for Marion County was 9.81% on Monday, up from 6.27% on May 2, 4.85% on April 20, 4.47% on April 18, and 2.69% on April 11.

Mark Lander, head of the Florida Department of Health in Marion County, said Monday that “this latest increase may reflect the seasonal ebb and flow that we’ve seen of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic."

“Thankfully, our numbers are still down significantly compared to the omicron spike at the beginning of the year," Lander noted. "But with cases and the positivity rate both rising again, at least for the moment, we emphasize that Marion County residents should take those steps that can reduce the spread of the virus: practicing good personal hygiene, remaining home if you are sick, and evaluating some lifestyle changes to become healthier.”

Local vaccine statistics

As of May 9, 236,029 Marion County residents have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, up 227 when compared to May 2. Of those, 97,257 had both shots and a booster, 350 more than a week ago, according to state data.

The CDC report shows that on May 9, 74.2% of Marion residents ages 18 and older have had at least one dose of the vaccine, while 72.2% of Marion residents ages 12 and older, and 67.9% of residents ages 5 and older have had at least one dose.

Meanwhile, 91.7% of residents ages 65 and older have had at least one dose, as of May 95. The data shows that 64.6% of Marion's entire population has had at least one dose.

— Contact Joe Callahan at (352) 817-1750 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala, Florida schools had 27 new COVID cases for week ending May 6