Sumter County

Sumter County health officials push for vulnerable groups to be tested for COVID-19

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SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — Sumter County health officials are pushing to test people in vulnerable groups for COVID-19.

Officials said they are working to test as many seniors as possible.

“We haven’t been seeing a weekly increase past our regular numbers. The rest of the state has been seeing a weekly increase, but here locally we haven’t seen a weekly increase,” a health official said.

Read: Florida reports record-breaking 3,200 new COVID-19 cases; 6 deaths reported locally

Health officials in Sumter County said unlike most of the state, COVID-19 cases have not gone up in the county.

Officials said they are working to test as many people as possible, especially since the county is home to the oldest population in the country and a portion of The Villages is located there.

Health officials said they are offering testing at the Department of Health’s Bushnell office, and they are setting up other testing sites at Bevilles Corner Market, New Covenant United Methodist Church and at a Walmart in Bushnell.

Officials said with such a huge at-risk population, they plan to continue testing until COVID-19 infections are no longer a threat.



Myrt Price

Myrt Price, WFTV.com

Myrt Price joined the eyewitness news team as a general assignment reporter in October of 2012.

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