Credit: WINK News. Lee Health has released its COVID-19 numbers for Thursday. The hospital system says it experiences an influx in patients every winter as seasonal residents return to Southwest Florida, but says this increase in patients has been exacerbated by the current omicron variant surge. Knowing the most appropriate place to go for health care can help patients avoid long wait times while also helping to conserve community health care resources. The emergency department is not a designated COVID-19 testing site, and if you are seeking a COVID-19 test there are better options. However, if you are experiencing a medical emergency, it is vital to call 911 or be taken to the emergency department immediately. As of Thursday morning, there are 340 COVID-19 patients isolated in Lee Health hospitals (inpatient). Of these patients, 10 of them are being treated at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. As of Thursday morning, its hospital census was at 92% of staffed operational bed capacity. As of Thursday morning, census in the intensive care unit was at 95% of staffed operational bed capacity. There were 36 COVID-19 patients in the ICU. On Wednesday, Lee Health emergency departments saw 831 patients. Before the current omicron surge, its emergency departments were averaging about 900 patients per day. On Wednesday, Lee Convenient Care saw 377 patients, its LCC locations were averaging about 360 patients per day before the omicron surge. For an at-home option, Lee Telehealth connects you directly with a provider who can provide care for all of the same things as an urgent care facility. Dispatch Health is another at-home option that brings a care team directly to your front door for the same types of illnesses or injuries. For a list of conditions they can treat, or make an appointment visit www.LeeTelehealth.org or www.DispatchHealth.com.