The staff at Lakeland Regional Health is anxiously waiting to see if the past week’s retreat from record high numbers of COVID-19 patients signals a peak in the current surge or just a momentary blip, a hospital vice president told city commissioners this morning.
Category: Health
Posted inEducation, Health
Dashboard: More Than 11,000 Polk Students Have Quarantined Over 2 Weeks
Polk County Public Schools’ new COVID-19 dashboard shows that 11,163 students and 323 staff have had to quarantine during the last two weeks. Quarantined students without access to digital devices and wifi are having difficulty keeping up with classwork, the head of the teachers’ union tells News Channel 8. | View the dashboard
Posted inHealth, News Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper: COVID Treatments, Judge’s Memorial
REGENERON: Lakeland Regional Health has ramped up the number of monoclonal antibody treatments it can provide. LRH follows the FDA guideline of reserving the treatment for people who have tested positive for COVID-19; the state of Florida’s Regeneron site at Lakes Church also accepts individuals who have been in close contact with a confirmed case. […]
Posted inHealth
Weekly COVID Report Shows Signs of a Possible Peak in Polk
This week’s COVID-19 update from the Florida Department of Health yields hope that the toll of the delta variant may have peaked in Polk County and Florida. During the last week, 6,174 new infections were reported in Polk, a solid drop from last week’s record 7,510 new cases. The testing positivity rate continued its slide […]
Posted inHealth
LRH Adds Portable Unit to Expand Morgue Capacity
With its record COVID-19 patient load, Lakeland Regional Health has brought in a mobile refrigerator cooler as a contingency to expand its morgue capacity, Fox 13 News reports. On Monday, the hospital reported 442 patients with COVID, nearly two-and-a-half times its peak of 180 during the winter surge. LRH has not disclosed how many COVID-related […]
Posted inHealth
Polk Schools Preliminary Data: 1,170 Students, 297 Staff Reported Positive for COVID-19
A preliminary report of COVID-19 cases in Polk public schools released Friday shows that 1,170 students and 297 staff have been reported as positive for the virus since Aug. 2. In addition, 8,228 students and 223 staff have quarantined after exposure to infected individuals.
Posted inHealth
Polk Adds a Record Number of New COVID-19 Infections for a Fifth Straight Week
Polk County added 7,510 new COVID-19 cases this week, setting a new record for a fifth week in a row, according to the weekly update from the Florida Department of Health. The average positivity rate of tests in Polk dipped to 23.2% this week from last week’s record of 28.9%, but still significantly above the […]
Posted inConsumer
Unlike Orlando and Tampa Bay, Lakeland Water Is Unaffected by Liquid Oxygen Shortages
Unlike neighbors in Orlando and three Tampa Bay area counties, Lakeland residents don’t need to worry about COVID-19 treatments affecting municipal water supplies or the taste of drinking water.
Posted inHealth
Health Officials Offer Guidance on Best Mask Practices
Which face masks and techniques for wearing them offer the best protection against spreading COVID-19? With more people wearing masks again as infections surge, LkldNow asked local public health officials about best practices.
Posted inHealth
Polk School Board Takes No Vote on the Mask Issue
Masks remain optional in Polk public schools. Polk School Board members heard passionate debate from both sides of the mask debate on Tuesday, but did not vote on the issue. Vice Chair Kay Fields tried to make a motion for an emergency mask mandate, but Chair Lori Cunningham ended the meeting without calling for a […]
