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COVID-19

Lee Health resumes some elective surgeries

Lee Health announced on Monday they are once again partially resuming elective surgeries that require an overnight hospital stay. Surgeries that could be safely postponed were put on hold in the first week of January due to the Omicron surge and high hospital census across the health system. Officials said the resumption of these surgeries is being phased in based on bed capacity at each hospital campus. “Lee Health is thankful for the patience of our patients and the community while these surgeries were suspended,” said Lee Health spokesperson Jonathon Little in an email. ...

Lee residents have various COVID testing options

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners is reminding residents of available COVID-19 testing options, including new expanded hours and weekends at the local Florida Department of Health site. FDOH-Lee’s expansion comes as the Lee County Sports Complex testing site is phased out ...

Lee Health: Stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations

Lee Health officials on Monday said in Lee County, roughly 64% of vaccine-eligible individuals are fully vaccinated while 24.7% are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. Lee Health officials in an email on Monday encouraged the general public to stay up to date on their COVID ...

COVID, ‘season,’ drive hospitals past capacity

Lee Health officials on Thursday detailed struggles the health care system currently is facing when it comes to capacity levels. As of Thursday morning, Lee Health hospitals were filled to 108% of staffed operational bed capacity when including those in the emergency department waiting for bed placement, officials said. “Unfortunately, things continue to get worse as it relates to our capacity,” said Lee Health President and CEO Dr. Larry Antonucci at a press conference Thursday. “We were hoping that with the Omicron surge beginning to dissipate, that we would see better ...

Lee Health: COVID cases hit apparent plateau

Lee Health officials are reporting a “plateau” and not a decline of COVID-19 patients in their hospitals. Officials said the number of hospitalized patients is hovering between 250-280 patients per day. “Lee Health is not experiencing a steep decline in COVID patients as has happened in previous surges,” said Lee Health spokesperson Jonathon Little in an email. “This is resulting in continued occupancy rates of more than 90% in our hospitals. The health system is averaging four COVID deaths per day since hospitalizations peaked two weeks ago, with eight patient deaths from ...

Lee Health reports decline in number of patients being treated for COVID-19

Could the current surge of the COVID-19 omicron variant have hit its peak in Southwest Florida? Lee Health officials on Monday said the region “may have reached the plateau” of the rise in COVID-19 patients the healthcare system has seen over the last month. “Over the last week, ...