I was in/out of the Lava Pool at various times every day last week - to me it felt pretty normal. You get peak day crowds where most chairs/lounges are full, but seems you can always find at least something. Shade is always at a premium at times.
I always wish Disney was better about removing used towels from chairs where guests leave but leave them sitting around, but just one of those things that happens at every hotel I guess. I actually liked it when they were doing COVID monitoring/cleaning since at least it kept chairs in regular rotation once available. Wouldn't be a problem if everyone would just clean up after themselves.