Miami Hetald -
A NUMBERS GAME Floridians flattened the COVID curve. Then, amid upbeat talk, the numbers began to rise
Floridians flattened the COVID curve. Then, amid upbeat talk, the numbers began to rise
The Florida COVID-19 data said one thing while Gov. DeSantis sometimes said another
Reluctantly, under pressure, Florida disclosed COVID-19 data. What the numbers tell us
‘Leading indicators of a resurgence’: COVID-19 numbers trending up since reopening
... In mid-April, Gov. Ron DeSantis started talking about reopening Florida, saying the worst of the novel coronavirus pandemic was behind the state. Reported new COVID-19 cases had steadily declined that month.
“People were literally just frightened to the dickens,” DeSantis said on April 20, criticizing the news media and public health experts for in his view exaggerating the crisis.
At the time, the numbers had been trending downward. But by the time reopening began, the state no longer appeared to be meeting federal reopening guidelines for declines in new cases or positivity rates, although the numbers had not returned to peak level, a Miami Herald data analysis shows. (The Herald was able to perform an independent analysis of positivity because it exclusively obtained non-public state data. Read the methodology for our analysis.)
Alberto Moscoso, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, did not challenge the Herald’s finding but defended the governor’s approach without providing the state’s own analysis. “The Governor’s first priority in reopening Florida continues to be maintaining the health and safety of all residents,” he said.
Now, the state is moving into the second phase of reopening as both positivity — the percentage of individuals testing positive out of total people tested — and new cases continue to rise. ...
#COVID-19 - Duplicitous #GOP Governor #DeSantis - #Jacksonville now wins #RepublicanConvention NOT
