Daily Stats (Updated 3/28/2020 at 6:30 pm)
As of today, Lee Health has:
- 22 COVID-19 patients isolated in our hospitals
- Submitted 2,232 specimens for testing
- 136 employees quarantined; 3 employees exposed at work and positive with COVID-19
- Click here for table showing specimens sent to the lab, positive cases currently in our hospitals, presumptive positive cases and telemedicine visits.
Today’s News
Real People Behind the Numbers
Right now, as we read or hear the latest news, we can get too focused on tracking the number of COVID-19 cases and related deaths and forget these “cases” are real people. To date, six patients at Lee Health had their lives taken from them too soon. They are not just a number or statistic to us. They are beloved family members, friends and members of our community that will be missed dearly. We must act now to stop the virus and ensure fewer families will experience this pain. We ask everyone in our community to work to flatten the curve by staying home, limiting contact with others and avoiding people who are coughing or sneezing. We can beat COVID-19 by being socially distant together.
Lee Health Leaders Meeting with County Commissioners on Monday
Lee Health leaders will be meeting with the Board of County Commissioners on Monday morning. We will be sharing with them our updated predictive analytics model which illustrates how social distancing can positively impact the care we provide in our hospitals.
Redeploying our Team Members
Lee Health’s goal in re-deploying our employees is to optimize the utilization of our team members and fill gaps where we have important needs. We have both clinical and clerical employees able and available to be re-deployed to departments in need in our health system.
#SWFLStrongerTogether
We are overwhelmed by the community support for our heroes on the frontline. The Lee Health Foundation is receiving funds for critical resources, equipment and supplies, as well as supply donations needed to support our doctors and nurses. For more information about the Lee Health and NCH Healthcare System joint fundraising campaign, go to www.SWFLtogether.org.
Food Donations
Local donut shops and pizza restaurants are just some of the establishments delivering food for our health care heroes. We appreciate the treats and the acts of generosity from the community mean a lot to us. If you or your business feel inspired to donate food for our staff, we politely ask you to leave the items at the front desks of our hospitals and facilities. This request helps us ensure the safety of our patients, staff and business team members. A staff member will pick up the items and deliver them to our health care workers and units.
TALLAHASSEE — To keep Florida residents and visitors safe, informed and aware about the status of the virus, The Florida Department of Health has launched a COVID-19 dashboard that will be updated twice daily. Today, as of 6 p.m., there are 4,038 total** Florida cases.
Two people have died who tested positive for COVID-19 in Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.
New Florida cases include:
- 275 additional positive COVID-19 cases (269 Florida residents and 6 non-Florida residents) reported to the Florida Department of Health.
- There are currently 3,877 positive cases in Florida residents and 161 positive cases in non-Florida residents.
Florida recently partnered with private laboratories around the state to expand COVID-19 laboratory testing capacity. This partnership will increase the number of tests conducted each day and ensure Floridians receive the critical health information they need in a timely manner.
Expansion to private laboratories changes the COVID-19 testing landscape in Florida. Private laboratories are running tests as they receive swab samples from practitioners. Testing and reporting times vary among commercial and DOH laboratories. Demographic information may be updated during investigations. These twice daily reports reflect the state’s efforts to accurately and transparently share information.
World Health Organization Update
SITUATION IN NUMBERS total (new) cases in last 24 hours (last updated 10:00 AM CET 3/28/2020)
Globally 517,678 confirmed (62,514)
26,494 deaths (3,159)
Western Pacific Region 101,462 confirmed (1444)
3,592 deaths (25)
European Region 324,343 confirmed (37,646)
18,740 deaths (2,635)
South-East Asia Region 3,085 confirmed (153)
114 deaths (9)
Eastern Mediterranean Region 38,931 confirmed (3,682)
2,508 deaths (172)
Region of the Americas 100,314 confirmed (19,177)
1,485 deaths (309)
African Region 2,831 confirmed (412)
48 deaths (9)
Highlights
- No new countries/territories/areas reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24
hours. - The WHO Director-General highlighted in his media briefing yesterday that the
chronic global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of the
most urgent threats to our collective ability to save lives. To date, WHO has
shipped almost 2 million individual items of PPE to 74 countries and is
preparing to send a similar amount to a further 60 countries. The DirectorGeneral’s opening remarks at the media briefing can be found here. - Today, WHO published the first edition of the practical manual to set up and
manage a severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) treatment centre and a
SARI screening facility in health-care facilities. The document has been
developed to meet the operational needs emerging with the COVID-19
pandemic.