Gov. DeSantis Acknowledges Spike In Florida Cases Can’t Be Explained Away By Increase In Testing
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says he's going to step up efforts to promote social distancing as cases in his state surge. The Florida Department of Health reported over 4,000 new COVID-19 diagnoses on Friday. Experts predict the Sunshine State could be the next U.S. epicenter of the pandemic.
Politico:
DeSantis Pivots On Covid-19 Surge, Says Testing Doesn't Account For Spike
Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged on Saturday that the rising number of new Covid-19 cases in Florida cannot be explained away by an increase in testing, and announced plans to step up enforcement of social distancing practices in bars and nightclubs. “Even with the testing increasing or being flat, the number of people testing positive is accelerating faster than that,” DeSantis told reporters during a briefing at the state Capitol. “You know that's evidence that there's transmission within those communities.” (Sarkissian, 6/20)
ABC News:
Florida Sets New Record Of COVID-19 Cases With Over 4,000 More
Florida continued to set record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases, with an additional 4,049 new cases reported Saturday. There were an additional 40 Florida resident deaths related to COVID-19, according to the state's Department of Health. There are now a total of 93,797 Florida cases with 3,144 deaths related to COVID-19, the Department of Health reported. (Torres, 6/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
Florida Reports Another Record High Of Daily Covid-19 Cases
Florida: The state, which broadly began the second phase of its reopening June 5, including movie theaters, bars and other entertainment venues, hit another record number of daily cases, according to data released by its health department Saturday morning. Florida’s total cases have climbed to more than 93,000, and more than 3,100 people have died. The share of people testing positive has also climbed, to about 10% this week from about half that the week prior. Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference that confirmed positive cases were increasingly concentrated among younger people, who were less likely to have severe symptoms, and that the state had ample hospital beds to accommodate a higher number of infections. (Kusisto, 6/20)
CBS News:
Florida Could Be The Next Epicenter Of The Coronavirus Pandemic, Report Warns
Florida is continuing to move forward with its reopening plans, despite having a week of record-breaking spikes in coronavirus cases. And now, one group of experts is warning that the state "has all the makings of the next large epicenter." (Cohen, 6/18)
NBC News:
ICU Beds In Short Supply Across Florida As State Struggles With Coronavirus Spike
Less than a quarter of hospital beds for intensive care patients are now available in Florida as the state grapples with a spike in coronavirus cases, data provided by the state revealed on Thursday. There were 1,371 adult ICU spots available out of 6,064 statewide, which is about 22.6 percent, the Agency for Health Care Administration showed in an update posted at 3:32 p.m. ET. (Li, 6/18)
KQED:
How A National Health Crisis Fell On The Backs Of Local Leaders
At a congressional hearing in mid-May, a recently ousted federal health official pulled back the curtain on the colossal missteps that had undercut the federal response to the pandemic. Rick Bright had filed a whistleblower complaint charging that he was removed from his post as the deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services when he urged the vetting of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug Trump touted as a cure for COVID-19. (Williams, Morel, Lagos, Switalski, Lewis and Harris, 6/19)
