Credit: WINK News Lee Health says it has 98 COVID-19 patients isolated in its hospitals on Friday. One death was reported on Thursday. As of Friday morning, there are 98 COVID-19 patients isolated in their hospitals (inpatient). Of these patients, three of them are children being treated at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Since Thursday, there were 14 new COVID-19 hospital admissions and 11 COVID-19 discharges. 65% of ventilators and 11% of ICU rooms are available for use. There are 21 COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 17 in the intensive care unit. On Friday morning, census was at 84% of staffed operational bed capacity. Since the start of the pandemic, 1,177 patients have died at Lee Health hospitals, with one death Thursday. “For the first time since July 16, Lee Health is treating fewer than 100 COVID-19 patients in our hospitals, down from a peak of 690 on Aug. 25,” wrote Dr. Larry Antonucci, CEO and president of Lee Health. “The previous peak was 372 in July of 2020. I am so proud of the dedication our team showed their patients during the delta surge. The grit and resilience of our frontline workers [was] tested, but through it all, they never lost their compassion or their drive to deliver safe and high-quality care to our patients. “While it appears the recent delta surge is over, I want to remind our community that the possibility of another surge in COVID[-19] cases remains a threat to Southwest Florida. Each of us can take steps today to help prevent another surge and limit the opportunities for new variants to form. Getting vaccinated today, if you haven’t already done so, will help keep our community safe as we enter our seasonal months. We’ve seen multiple times before that infection rates can spike quickly when new variants form, and getting vaccinated remains our best defense against the coronavirus.” Lee Health offers COVID-19 vaccines for anyone 12 and older at its Community Vaccination Clinic, located inside Gulf Coast Medical Center. It’s open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and there is no cost for the vaccine. Anyone can make an appointment online by visiting www.leehealth.org. RESOURCES: Monoclonal antibody site locations COVID-19 testing locations Find a vaccine near you