Daily Stats (Updated 4/24/2020 at 5:30 pm)
As of today, Lee Health has:
- 70 COVID-19 patients isolated in our hospitals
- Submitted 9,147 specimens for testing
- Discharged 166 patients
- 197 employees quarantined; 32 employees exposed at work and positive with COVID-19
- Click here for graphs showing a running total of specimens collected for testing and positive cases hospitalized.
Today’s News
A Message from Dr. Larry Antonucci
Hospitals and health systems, patients and families across the country are anxiously awaiting the go-ahead to resume elective, non-urgent surgeries. Lee Health is proceeding cautiously and judiciously planning for the resumption of services. One significant factor we (and hospitals across the country) are reviewing and weighing is the supply line for personal protective equipment (PPE). Ensuring we have the masks, gowns, glasses, face shields and other PPE is vital.
The donations of homemade masks have been greatly appreciated and put to good use to protect our patients and visitors so our health care teams on the frontlines can utilize the medical-grade masks. Moving forward, homemade masks will continue to be valuable to us. If you are interested in making and donating homemade masks, Lee Health will gladly accept your donations. We ask that you call the Lee Health Foundation at 239-343-6950 to arrange for delivery.
Thank you for your continued support of Lee Health and our health care heroes. It truly is our honor and privilege to care for our families, friends and neighbors throughout our community.
An Update on Test Results
A few weeks ago, we began testing for COVID-19 at our in-house laboratories. This had a significant impact on how we were caring for patients because we could report results within 24 hours; compared to the 7-10 day wait from the commercial labs.
All test results are sent to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) in Lee County. The data is then reviewed and validated in Tallahassee and reported at the state level. To avoid being overwhelmed in managing the additional volume of data generated by in-house testing, we worked with FDOH to exchange the test results digitally between our two computer systems.
A few days ago, we discovered that some lab results transferred from Lee Health were not received by the DOH. We have worked hard to get the two IT systems to talk to each other and have resolved the issue. The lab results that were previously submitted electronically and not received were resubmitted yesterday and are aggregated into two reports. It’s not possible to go back and assign the test results to the date they should have been received, so this backlog of test results will be added today and tomorrow.
We wanted to share and explain this situation so that no one is alarmed to see a sudden spike in test results.
Please Continue Practicing Physical Distancing
Now that public parks and trails have reopened, and as we look forward to accessing additional places and spaces, please remember to observe the 6-foot physical distancing guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also important that you practice hand hygiene before and after visiting public spaces and avoid touching your face. Thank you for doing your part to keep yourself and others safe.
A Letter of Appreciation from a Lee Health Patient
Brian, a Lee Health patient and Cape Coral resident, wrote this letter of gratitude for our health care heroes, in which he acknowledges their resilience and dedication to our patients and community.
Thank you, Lexington Country Club Residents
With material provided by Lee Health, 30 residents from Lexington Country Club made 250 N-95 masks for our health care staff. This project was spearheaded by Administrative Supervisor Marianne Shervin. Marianne says the group also made button headbands “to save the ears” of staff. These headbands allow staff to secure the mask on the side of their head rather than behind their ears. In addition to the material provided by Lee Health, 20 additional Lexington residents donated funds to enable the purchase of additional supplies. Thank you to these 50 Lexington County Club residents for helping to protect our team members.
A Note for Saturday and Sunday
There will not be an update sent out this weekend. Look for the next COVID-19 Update to come out on Monday, April 27. Moving forward, this newsletter will be distributed Monday-Friday.
~29,707 positive cases in Florida residents and 826 positive cases in non-Florida residents~
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 is updated twice daily. Today, as of 6 p.m., there are 30,533 total** Florida cases.
To date, 335 long-term care facilities have been or currently are associated with positive cases of COVID-19. The Florida Department of Health has published the list here. The twice daily COVID-19 report also includes information by county about deaths related to staff or residents in long-term care facilities. Of the 2,682 cases of residents or staff in long-term care facilities, 296 have died.
While Florida’s testing has increased over the past week, the percent of those testing positive for COVID-19 overall is 10 percent. Of the 21,286 tests performed on April 23, there were 2,070 positive results, or 10 percent.
Thirty-four people have died who tested positive for COVID-19 in Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Dade, Lake, Manatee, Marion, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole and St. Lucie counties.
New Florida cases include:
- 359 additional positive COVID-19 cases (351 Florida residents and 8 non-Florida residents) reported to the Florida Department of Health.
- There are currently 29,707 positive cases in Florida residents and 826 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 4/24/2020)
181 938 deaths (6260)
5869 deaths (51)
116 523 deaths (3187)
1554 deaths (56)
6608 deaths (139)
50 583 deaths (2787)
788 deaths (40)
- WHO has published an interim guidance ‘COVID-19 and Food Safety: Guidance
for competent authorities responsible for national food safety control systems’.
The guidance document provides advice and recommendations for national
food safety authorities to optimize food control functions and prioritize critical
services that preserve the integrity of food safety systems. - WHO has published an interim guidance ‘Water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste
management for the COVID-19 virus’. This interim guidance is the second edition
and supplements existing infection prevention and control documents by
summarizing the latest evidence on COVID-19 in water supplies and sanitation.
It highlights WHO guidance on water, sanitation, hand hygiene and health care
waste which is relevant for viruses (including coronaviruses). - WHO’s Health Security Learning Platform offers a number of online courses to
help enhance knowledge on specific issues related to the implementation of the
International Health Regulations (2005). A new course, “Operational
considerations for managing COVID-19 cases/outbreak in aviation”, is available
and is the topic for today’s ‘Subject in Focus’, below.