Doctors call for DeSantis to domore in COVID-19 fight
Florida is at high risk for another disastrous surge in COVID-19 cases. The first Florida case of COVID-19 was diagnosed just over six months ago. In just a few short months, the virus has infected more than 720,000 Florida citizens, killing over 15,000. These Floridians are not just statistics but are family and members of our communities. They are our grandparents, parents, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, teachers, doctors, nurses, emergency responders, front-lineworkers and numerous other individuals who have contributed so much to protecting, healing and caring for our communities. As numbers increase daily, we become numb to the reports of another 100 or 200 Florida COVID deaths each day. In addition to the profound toll on lives, countless Floridians also lost their jobs, savings and educational opportunities. Accurate and timely data is rarely available. Publicly available data is collected in inconsistent ways, making it impossible for local health officials to respond in an informed way.
As physicians with scientific training, we hoped that by now there would be greater appreciation for what works to curtail the spread of this dreadful virus and what does not. Usually one learns from mistakes and does not repeat them. Gov. DeSantis’ ill-advised policies have fueled repeated surges of the pandemic. Early on, he prioritized college students’ ability to enjoy spring break at Florida beaches and in the bars freely; this allowed the virus to be transmitted throughout parts of the United States and generated the first peak of cases in Florida.
Just as the number of daily new cases was beginning to diminish, the governor prematurely opened various venues for Memorial Day weekend in an effort to attract the Republican convention to Florida; this contributed to Florida shattering the nation’s record of largest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases with over 15,000 new cases reported in a single day. The governor reassured the public not to be concerned because the cases were spreading among younger, healthy people, but, even if true, they do not live in a bubble. They expose others in the community and recently we experienced over 1,000 Floridians dying each week due to COVID-19.
Nowthe governor is opening businesses fully, including the highest-risk venues such as bars— despite warnings fromthe CDC, health care experts, and even his own Rebound Florida committee recommendations, and despite larger daily numbers of new Florida COVID-19 cases than were seen prior to Memorial Day.
The governor understands this premature reopening will cause a significant increase in COVID-19 cases. He reassured Floridians that the state’s hospitals have plenty of intensive care unit beds available to handle an increase in cases, just like this summer. What he conveniently left out was that as Florida’s cases climbed in July, the state repeatedly ran out of treatments like Remdesivir and convalescent plasma aswell as the staffing for the “available ICU beds.” With the rising demand for treatments elsewhere in the country, we can expect a shortage in Florida when Floridians will need them most. There also will once again be a shortage of front-line health careworkers, many of whom retired early due to frustration with the irresponsible behavior of fellow citizens and political leaders who put their and their family’s lives at risk on a daily basis. More importantly, we know enough nowto prevent a surge of disease. Available ICU beds is not the metric on which we should be focusing. Rather, we have the tools to prevent new cases: masking, social distancing, testing and contact tracing. The governor’s focus should be on resourcing and deploying these tools to our local communities.
Many Floridians recognize the benefit of wearing masks, which has proven to save lives. Unfortunately, the governor and others in a position to offer responsible leadership have failed to recognize the value of a simple piece of cloth. Evenmore concerning is the governor’s Students’ Bill of Rights, which prohibits universities from limiting parties and large gatherings and prevents universities from requiring those who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate. These executive orders show no concern for the teachers, administrators and other community members who get infected and may die as a result. Public schools are opening without the necessary safeguards for teachers and support staff.
Florida’s economy will suffer more if tourists are afraid to visit. Whowould want to self-quarantine in their home state for twoweeks just because they visited Disney World for aweek this winter?
This pandemic can be managed without having to shut downthe economy. Science-based public health measures should be implemented in Florida, such as a statewide mask mandate similar to Arizona, which experienced a 75% decline in COVID-19 cases after the governor implemented it. Occupancy at high-risk venues such as bars and indoor restaurants should be determined based on data: COVID-19 test positivity, number of new cases per capita per day aswell as ventilation assessments of the locations. Local municipalities, universities and other large institutions should be able to develop additional restrictions when necessary to curtail the spread ofCOVID-19 without interference fromthe governor. Rapid antigen testing should not be limited to schools and senior care facilities; doctors should be able to provide this test in their offices so that sick patients are not waiting days for results from commercial laboratories
Florida is blessed with some of the finest medical schools in the country. The governor should embrace recommendations fromthe public health and infectious disease experts of these centers rather than pursuing policies of those who are not considered experts. Simple public health measures can enable the economy by allowing businesses to operate in a safe manner.
All it takes is responsible leadership based on science, medicine and accurate, current data.
Dr. Steven P. Rosenberg is past Chair of the Florida Board of Medicine, Dr. Terry Adirim is Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs at Florida Atlantic University, Dr. Brent Schillinger is past President of the Palm Beach County Medical Society, Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine is President of the Palm Beach County Pediatric Society, Dr. Martha Rodriguez is on the Palm Beach County School District Medical Advisory Board, Dr. Jeff Berman is Executive Director of the Florida Pulmonary Society, and Dr. Chad R. Sanborn treats pediatric infectious diseases at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital.
The opinion expressed in this op-ed represent those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of Florida Atlantic University.