As cases surge, DeSantis calls out young people
In a press conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed the growth of COVID-19 cases on young people who are not observing safety measures. The weekly rate of new cases reached an all-time high.
As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to skyrocket statewide, Gov. Ron DeSantis has found a new target in Florida’s battle against the virus: Youths.
Seated at a table with medical professionals during a Pensacola news conference on Sunday, Florida’s top elected official again cited numbers that showed Floridians aged 18-44 are primarily responsible for the state’s recent spike in cases.
“You can’t control...they’re younger people. They’re going to do what they’re going to do,” DeSantis said.
That group is going out more and socializing at a greater rate, DeSantis said. That’s why, he said, the state is seeing more cases. The growth is alarming.
According to the Florida Department of Health, 43,964 new COVID-19 cases were reported for the week of June 21-28 around the state — the highest weekly number of infections to date — bringing the total number of cases to 141,075.
The number of deaths over that same weekly span was 147, down 26% from the previous week’s death toll of 199. Statewide, the total reached 3,419. A rise in the number of patients requiring hospitalization has been seen to trail increasing case numbers by weeks, and increases in the number of fatalities has trailed by a month or more.
On Sunday alone, the state reported
8,530 new cases, a 144% increase over the
previous high for a Sunday — 3,494 cases on June 21. That Sunday-to-Sunday comparison is significant because fewer tests are processed and results posted because of lower staffing levels on the weekend.
One-fourth of those new cases came from MiamiDade, which set a new single-day record of 2,152 cases. The county also added six more deaths, bringing its total to 953.
Broward County reported 574 new cases, for a total of 14,620, and no new deaths, keeping its fatal tally at 382.
TAKING LOCAL PRECAUTIONS
Local governments in South Florida aren’t taking any chances. As a result of the growing number of cases, Broward County announced on Sunday its beaches will be closed for the upcoming holiday weekend of July 3-5. The decision followed Friday’s announcement by MiamiDade Mayor Carlos Gimenez that parks and beaches would be closed July 3-7 and holiday weekend gatherings larger than 50 people, including parades, were canceled.
On Friday, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation suspended alcohol consumption at bars around the state, citing the growing number of infections among young people. Bars can still sell alcoholic beverages in sealed containers to be consumed off-site, and restaurants can serve alcohol to be consumed by diners at tables.
Although less than two weeks ago DeSantis vowed Florida was not “rolling back” the reopening of businesses, the governor said Sunday this was a necessary step because of the “widespread noncompliance” of social distancing rules at bars across the state.
“If you get sick very quickly with an aggressive strain, you’re not out in the community and you’re not spreading it,” said Jason Foland, the medical director of the pediatric unit at Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart in Pensacola. “If you have symptoms much like the common cold, you’re spreading it all over the place.”
But Foland and DeSantis also pointed out that young people are not immune from the worst outcomes. Even asymptomatic carriers are not exempt from passing the infection along to a more vulnerable population.
OLDER FLORIDIANS STAYING SAFE
The uptick in cases among young people spreading to the state’s sizable elderly population is the looming threat to Florida. DeSantis complimented the state’s older population for abiding by social distancing rules, while urging younger people to follow suit.
“The seniors have been very, very diligent,” DeSantis said. “I know it’s gone on now, we’re in the third month of this, and it can be tiring we just ask that you maintain that diligence.”
DeSantis has stressed personal responsibility while declining to pursue some actions that other hot-spot states have put into place. For example, the Republican governor questioned the efficacy of a statewide indoor mask requirement on Friday. California has such a requirement in public spaces, as do at least 15 other states, in some form.
The governor also announced that the formerly shuttered Pan American Hospital at 5757 NW Seventh St. in Miami would reopen on July 1st strictly as a medical care center for residents of long-term care facilities who test positive for the coronavirus. The center would be the first of its kind in Miami-Dade, DeSantis said, and would isolate patients from spreading the virus through senior citizen communities.
MORE TESTING
At a media briefing at Hard Rock Stadium, Mike Jachles, spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said staffers conducted a total of 979 swab tests on Sunday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 tests conducted at the site since it opened in March to nearly 44,000.
Jachles said state-run testing sites such as the Hard Rock or the Miami Beach Convention Center continue to test anyone over the age of 18 with a photo ID, regardless of symptoms, but warned about extended wait times on weekdays.
“Today was the lightest lines we’ve seen,” he said. “But it’s important for people to remember they could be sitting in their cars for a couple of hours, so make sure your gas tank is full, your air-conditioning is working and you bring water, snacks and medication with you.”