Lee Health reports 251 COVID-19 patients, seven deaths

Lee Health is reporting there are  251 COVID-19 patients isolated in their hospitals. Seven COVID-19 patients died on Wednesday.

• As of Thursday morning, there are 251 COVID-19 patients isolated in Lee Health hospitals (inpatient).
• Of those patients, seven of them are children being treated at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
• On Wednesday, there were 24 new COVID-19 hospital admissions and 21 COVID-19 discharges.
• 63% of ventilators and 8% of ICU rooms are available for use. There are 46 COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 70 in the intensive care unit.
• On Thursday morning, census was at 90% of staffed operational bed capacity.
• Since the start of the pandemic, 1,125 patients have died inside Lee Health hospitals to COVID-19, including seven on Wednesday.

“We are, thankfully, on the downswing of the COVID-19 surge caused by the delta Variant that tested our community’s resources but never our resolve,” said Lee Health President and CEO Larry Antonucci. “I am thankful for the work Lee Health’s dedicated staff continues to do to care for our patients, and also for the support that the Southwest Florida community has shown us.”

Antonucci said while the delta surge may be winding down it does not mean the danger is over.

“The delta surge is just one of four major surges we’ve seen throughout this pandemic. If we become complacent now, we are putting ourselves at risk for further surges as we head into our seasonal months,” Antonucci said.

Antonucci urged everyone who can get the vaccine.

Lee Health offers COVID-19 vaccines for anyone 12 and older at its Community Vaccination Clinic, located inside Gulf Coast Medical Center. It’s open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and there is no cost for the vaccine.