LEE COUNTY, Fla. — As Florida continues to fight the spread of COVID-19, field hospitals are being set up across the state — including locally.
"The Florida Division of Management has deployed a 250-bed field hospital that is temporarily being stored at the Lee County Mosquito Control District," said Dr. Larry Antonucci, President of Lee Health.
A location for the field hospital has not yet been identified.
The 250-bed field hospital is part of the state's advance planning efforts, and will only be used if it is needed.
"If it does open, this facility is designed to serve as overflow for area hospitals, and it's not intended for ICU or critical patients," said Dr. Antonucci.
The field hospital would be staffed by the Division of Emergency Management, not Lee Health.
Dr. Larry Antonucci says right now bed capacity for Lee Health is at 54%, with 9% being COVID-19 patients.
"It's too soon to know if it will be required to open the field hospital in the future, but we are thankful for the state's support of our region should it be needed," said Dr. Antonucci.
Currently, Lee Health is treating 74 COVID-19 patients, and 70 have been discharged.
According to the Florida Department of Health, there are 17,968 total cases in the state as of Friday afternoon.
