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Lee Health/NCH Hospitals Continue Battling COVID-19

Officials with the Lee Health and Naples Community Hospital healthcare systems report little change this week in hospital resource capacity and patient volumes as they continue battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Lee Health’s COVID-19 test positivity rate remains at 26.1% while NCH’s positivity rate stands at 14.1%. As of Friday afternoon, Lee Health hospitals are treating a total of 317 coronavirus patients after discharging 33 patients, Thursday and admitting another 41. Lee Health’s current ICU bed capacity is 91% full and 64% of its ventilator supply remains available.

Lee Health Chief Operating Officer Dr. Scott Nygaard says the health system is experiencing record high demand for COVID-19 tests. “We want people to be prepared for a potentially longer wait to get their results back,” said Dr. Nygaard.

“We process as many tests as we can at an in-house lab. We typically have a turnaround time of 24 hours or less. We are prioritizing in house testing for patients who require hospitalization.”

He said anyone waiting on test results who is experiencing symptoms should behave as though they are COVID-19 positive and quarantine appropriately.

Nygaard said Lee Health is continuing to work on its patient surge plan to increase hospital capacity. “By the first week of August we will be increasing our staffed operational bed capacity from 1,300 to 1,400 beds due to the seasonal nature of Southwest Florida.”

Dr. Nygaard said despite a nationwide shortage of the drug remdesivir, which has been shown to help shorten hospital stays and reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms, Lee Health has an adequate supply of the drug that should last until their next scheduled shipment arrives at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, NCH CEO Paul Hiltz said NCH hospitals are currently treating 132 COVID-19 positive patients, which is five fewer patients than the previous day.

90% of NCH’s adult inpatient hospital beds are currently full and 75% of the health system’s crucial care beds are full as well. Of NCH’s supply of 153 ventilators, Hiltz said just 15 are being used currently and ten are being used for coronavirus patients.

Unlike Lee Health, NCH officials have not yet activated the health system’s patient surge plan.
Dr. Nygaard also took a moment to express gratitude for retailers like Walmart, Publix, Starbucks and Target for “doing the right thing,” and mandating that customers where masks in their stores.