×
×
homepage logo
STORE

Health officials urge residents to get second vaccination

By CJ HADDAD - | Jun 1, 2021

Local health officials are reminding those who received their first COVID-19 vaccination to make sure they get their second.

Lee Health’s Dr. Mary Beth Saunders, system medical director of epidemiology and infection prevention, on Tuesday released a statement regarding residents not returning for their second vaccination.

“We want to remind everyone who visited our Lee Health Community Vaccination Clinic to please return for their second COVID-19 vaccination if they received Moderna or Pfizer. Doing so is crucial to reaching full immunity against COVID-19,” she said.

“While getting the first dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccination does provide some protection, you are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after receiving your final dose. Johnson & Johnson is a one-dose vaccine and you are considered fully-vaccinated two weeks after your shot.”

Currently, Lee Health is offering vaccines at no cost to any community member 12 or older. Their walk-in clinic is at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers. For more information, visit www.leehealth.org.

By the Numbers

As of Tuesday afternoon, there are 2,326,755 total cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Florida, an increase of 5,937 since FDOH’s last update Monday.

The total number of persons vaccinated as of Tuesday throughout Florida was 10,344,328 with 366,235 being in Lee County. According to the state, 8,322,901 individuals have their vaccine series completed, 304,610 of those being in Lee County.

Test results reported to the Department of Health on Monday, May 31, resulted in a 3.89% positivity rate among 37,493 tests.

The state saw its highest daily percentage of positive patients on Dec. 29 when 22.75% percent of tests reported were positive among 62,303 tests.

The average positivity rate in new cases over the last week is 3.38% (4.04% average the week before).

Of those testing positive, 95,210 Florida residents have been hospitalized at some point during their illness according to the state.

The death toll increased by 97 from Monday’s report, bringing the total number of deaths, both resident and non-resident, to 37,609.

According to the state, hospitalizations in Lee County make up 3% of all positive cases. At the state level, 4% of all positive cases result in hospitalization. The percentage of deaths statewide account for 2% of all cases and, in Lee County, stand at 1% of positive cases.

In Lee County, 73,701 individuals (+239) have tested positive as of Tuesday’s update.

Positive COVID-19 cases in the county have ranged from infants to a 103-year-old. Lee County saw its first two cases on March 7, when a man and a woman, each 77, tested positive. They had traveled to the Dominican Republic.

There have been 1,007 deaths in Lee County, an increase of three since Monday’s report.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Lee Health had 58 COVID-19 patients isolated in system inpatient hospitals. Over the long weekend, Lee Health saw 25 new COVID-19 admissions and 42 discharges.

On Monday, Lee Health had a 5.5% positivity rate on COVID-19 tests processed through Lee Health Labs. This represents Lee Health results only, not Lee County as a whole. Hospital positivity rates tend to be higher as the tests are performed on patients seeking treatment for a health issue, not the general public that includes asymptomatic individuals.

A total of 6,357 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from Lee Health facilities since the beginning of the pandemic.

Census as of Tuesday afternoon was at 88% of staffed operational bed capacity, with 4.5% of those being COVID-19 patients. Staffed operational capacity reflects the number of beds for which the hospital has adequate staffing, not the total number of beds within Lee Health hospitals. Overall bed capacity fluctuates hour to hour as the system discharges patients throughout the day who are ready to go home.

As of Tuesday, 76% of ventilators and 27% of ICU rooms are available for use across Lee Health facilities.

As of Tuesday, there were five COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 13 in the intensive care unit.

COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral disease. For most individuals, symptoms are mild. For a minority, the disease becomes a type of viral pneumonia with severe complications. Especially at risk are those who are older, those with underlying health conditions and the immune-compromised.

For more detail on Florida resident cases, visit the live DOH Dashboard.

To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, visit the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage. For information and advisories from the Centers for Disease Control, visit the CDC COVID-19 website. For more information about current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State, visit the travel advisory website.

For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-866-779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.