LEE COUNTY, Fla. — In two weeks, the number of people getting tested for COVID-19 at Lee Health has doubled.
As of August 24, about 80 people were hospitalized for COVID, compared to around 30 at the start of this summer.
"We're running somewhere between 500 and 550 tests a day," Lee Health's Dr. Stephanie Stovall said.
Stovall is a pediatric infectious disease specialist for the health system. She said about 23 percent of the daily tests come back positive.
With this uptick coming just weeks into the school year, Fox 4 wanted to know, what does this mean for parents and kids?
Rob Spicker with Lee County Schools said the district is backing off of strict COVID-19 guidelines for now.
"In 2021 and in 2020, we were much more aggressive with the health department for getting those daily reports," Spicker said.
Lee County schools expect positive staff and students to keep out of the classroom for five days, until asymptomatic, or until a provided doctor's note says they can come back sooner.
Collier County Schools' policy is a little different.
In a statement to Fox 4, Collier Schools said based on guidance from the Department of Health, students must be fever-free for at least 24 hours with improved symptoms.
Click here for information on case count, updated bi-weekly.
