Lee Health ties single-day record with 18 COVID-19 patient deaths, even as hospitalizations drop

Lee Health equaled its single-day record for COVID-19 deaths Wednesday with 18 reported, even as the overall number of patients hospitalized because of the virus continued to decline.

The 18 patients were between 48 and 93 years old. Lee Health also had 18 COVID patients die within a 24-hour period on Aug. 30.

Since the start of the pandemic, 1,017 patients have died of COVID-19 at Lee Health hospitals. Nearly one-third of those deaths have occurred since June 28. 

The number of COVID-19 patients at Lee Health dropped below 500 for the first time in nearly a month with the system reporting 495 on Thursday. The hospital system was operating at 99% of staffed and operational beds.

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Lee Health spokesperson Jonathan Little said that the decline in patients numbers does not mean the community should become complacent about COVID-19.

"As the total number of COVID-19 patients we are treating continues to decline, our number of patients on ventilators and in the ICU has sadly remained about the same," Little said. "Our hospitals are still almost full, and we are still caring for many more COVID-19 patients than we were last year."

Lee Health had 87 patients in intensive care unit beds Thursday, including 82 patients on ventilators.

There are 13 pediatric patients being treated at its Golisano Children’s Hospital, one fewer than on Wednesday.

The NCH Healthcare System, the largest hospital system in Collier County, reported 183 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, five fewer than Wednesday. It also reported one additional COVID-19 death, bringing its pandemic total to 303.

Of the total COVID-19 patients at NCH, 155 patients, or 85%, were not vaccinated. The patients range in age from 13 to 98 and include two children.

NCH is operating at 147% of staffed and operational critical care beds with 69 in use when it normally operates with 47 critical care beds. Fifty-six of the critical care beds are being used by COVID-19 patients with 39 on ventilators.

Physicians Regional Healthcare System, also in Collier, reported 84 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, 10 fewer than Wednesday.

Connect with Dan DeLuca: @News-PressDan (Twitter), ddeluca@gannett.com.

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