Sydney Persing

The FDA is restricting monoclonal antibody treatments for people with COVID-19. As a result, monoclonal antibody treatment sites in Florida have closed. Despite the FDA’s decision, Governor Ron DeSantis remains a supporter of monoclonal antibody treatments. The monoclonal treatment location in Naples just opened on Thursday. Four days later, the FDA revoked its emergency use […]

Essential caregivers are fighting to make sure they’ll still be able to see their loved ones. A Florida woman became an overnight celebrity for taking a job as a dishwasher so that she’d be able to see her husband. Now, Mary Daniel is joining the fight to make a bill become a law. Daniel is […]

The School District of Lee County will soon have a new leader. But first, they have to choose from the top five Lee County superintendent candidates. The candidates were interviewed recently. They are waiting to hear back and see who will move forward to the final round. The candidates are: Christopher Bernier is the chief […]

A report released in December paints a bad picture for mental health in Florida. The Third Interim Report of the 20th Statewide Grand Jury was released by the Florida Attorney General’s Office in December of last year. It’s a sobering account that outlines a laundry list of issues in Florida’s mental health system. “Our mental […]

AT&T and Verizon will delay launching new wireless services near some airports after the nation’s largest airlines said the service would interfere with aircraft technology and cause massive flight disruptions. The decision from the telecommunication companies arrived Tuesday as the Biden administration tried to broker a settlement between the telecom companies and the airlines over […]

Gubernatorial Candidate and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is under fire for comparing Governor Ron DeSantis to Hitler. Comparing the governor to Hitler may not be politically smart, but for some people, the comparison has nothing to do with politics at all. Hitler’s name is synonymous with the swastika, concentration camps and the murder of millions. […]

Hospitals nationwide are now forced to enforce a vaccine mandate for frontline workers. But can hospitals afford to lose more staff members due to the Supreme Court approval of the mandate? Southwest Florida hospitals are saying they are going to comply with the order. The Supreme Court blocked the mandate for big businesses but allowed […]

Hundreds of healthcare employees are out sick, resulting in hospitals becoming overwhelmed. On Wednesday, in a news conference, Governor DeSantis stuck to his guns and said healthy people should still go to work even if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19. “We have about 300 employees who are either out with COVID or are in quarantine […]

Lee Health says it is caring for 284 COVID-19 patients in its hospitals on Tuesday morning. The hospital says it is still seeing an above-average number of patients. Infection by omicron is less dangerous for most people than infection by delta, but the variant is hitting Lee Health hospitals just as hard as before. Dr. […]

The omicron variant is causing case numbers to soar across Southwest Florida, and beds are filling up at local hospitals. At NCH, there are 122 COVID-positive patients. At Lee Health, there are 276. And while both hospital systems say they have enough staff, the onslaught of COVID-19 patients may be making them feel understaffed. Health […]