FORT MYERS, Fla — Lee Health is tightening its visitation restrictions again, as the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to impact the Southwest Florida community, and as new information has shed light on just how contagious it is.
Here is the latest statement from Lee Health:
Due to the current capacity and the highly contagious nature of the COVID-19 delta variant, Lee Health is restricting visitation in our emergency departments until further notice. Visitors will only be granted access in the ED for compassionate care or if they are needed to gather information related to providing care (and thus allowed in the ED at the discretion of our staff). Patients in the obstetrics ED at HealthPark Medical Center will be allowed to have one visitor. This change to ED visitation is in place at Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center and Lee Memorial Hospital. At Golisano Children's Hospital, visitation in the ED will be limited to two support people (parent/guardian/support person).
This comes as the latest numbers from Lee Health show 238 COVID patients isolated in its hospitals.
Across our state, some hospitals have set up overflow tents in advance of a possible surge, to keep non-COVID patients away from the infected.
"Four times the size of the spike that occurred in January, so, that's what we are facing," said Edwin Michael, PHD, USF Professor of Infectious Disease.
Changes and restrictions come after that new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document Fox 4 first reported on Friday. It showed the Delta variant is as infectious as chicken pox and can potentially be spread even among people who've been vaccinated.
