COVID-19

An influx of visitors and residents this time of year typically means more activity in hospitals, but Lee Health is experiencing a record-high number of hospitalized patients, prompting health system officials to urge people with only minor injuries or illnesses to avoid going to the ER and seek alternative paths to care.

COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations across the Lee Health System have more than doubled over the past month amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus infections. Naples Community Hospital Healthcare System (NCH) and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMH) report experiencing a similar uptick, although the number of COVID patients requiring ICU-level care remains low.

A new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families finds that the rate of uninsured children nationally dropped from 5.7% to 5.4% between 2019 and 2021 and that the rate of uninsured kids in Florida fell from 7.6% to 7.3%. Health policy experts warn, these gains could be short-lived because when federal protections in the Families First Act expire, states will be reevaluating Medicaid eligibility requirements and that could happen as soon as April 2023. We take a closer look in a conversation with the lead author of the report, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families co-founder and Executive Director Joan Alker.

A new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families finds that the rate of uninsured children nationally dropped from 5.7% to 5.4% between 2019 and 2021 and that the rate of uninsured kids in Florida fell from 7.6% to 7.3%. Health policy experts warn, these gains could be short-lived because when federal protections in the Families First Act expire, states will be reevaluating Medicaid eligibility requirements. That could happen as soon as April 2023.

The Florida Center for Government Accountability and state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, filed the lawsuit claiming the health department violated the state’s public-records law by turning down requests for daily COVID-19 data.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized on Wednesday an updated formula of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and rival Moderna, which target today’s most common omicron strain.

In this week's health news, Collier County Public Schools gives parents tips on the new COVID resurgence and Florida updates state Monkeypox data.

Explore ways our modern response to the COVID-19 pandemic might have similarities to plagues in history, and how writers like, William Shakespeare, responded.

Health workers are continuing to provide life-saving COVID-19 information and other health resources throughout the community of Immokalee.

The rate of new coronavirus infections statewide is relatively unchanged from two weeks ago, but the Lee Health and Sarasota Memorial hospital systems have been reporting slight increases in hospitalized COVID-19 patients over the last couple of months. Now they’re also preparing to provide vaccinations for young children ages six months to five years old and helping raise awareness about the availability of monoclonal antibody and antiviral treatments.