LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Ahead of COVID-19 boosters rolling out this fall, doctors at Lee Health are seeing an increase in positive cases.
With school starting August 10 for hundreds of thousands here in southwest Florida, Lee Health is keeping track of the latest case count.
Dr. Stephanie Stovall is Lee Health's Chief Officer of Quality and Safety. She said the health system is seeing an uptick in positive cases, reaching between 70 and 80 each day — That's the highest it's been in the last eight months.
"We're not seeing a high increase in the amount of ICU utilization, but hospitalization... we are seeing numbers up a little bit," Dr. Stovall said.
She said the number of tests the health system does daily is between 270 and 500. Those 70-80 positive daily cases is out of those local tests.
"If you had asked me, say, four weeks ago, that number would have been closer to 20 to 30," Dr. Stovall said.
60 to 70 patients admitted for COVID-19 are filling beds right now at Lee Health, just on time when students are heading back to school. Dr. Stovall said, before children get into the classroom and hallway crowds, to keep distance in mind.
"If you have the option to sit farther away from someone maybe in a theater or something like that, as opposed to right on top of someone else make those choices as well," Dr. Stovall said.
Click hereto view case counts region wide.
