Florida Forced To Request More Ventilators Even As It Rejects Mask, Vax Mandates

The US is experiencing 100,000 Covid infections a day - and 20,000 of them are in Florida. 

Despite that, the state's governor and legislature continue to fight mask and vaccine mandates, going so far as to threaten school district supervisors' salaries if they don't obey. But the situation has become so dire that the state's four biggest school districts are in revolt and mandating masks despite the threats. Now, the state has been forced to request ventilators from the Federal government stockpile because so many Floridians have been hospitalized with severe Covid that it has run out of the machines. JL

Steph Bazzle reports in Hillreporter.com:

Florida, actions taken to limit precautions are being linked to an undesirable outcome: increasing hospitalizations, and in particular, a rise in pediatric cases. Now the state has been forced to request additional ventilators from a Federal stockpile for hospitalized Covid patients. Florida has requested 300 ventilators “to replace expended state stores.” While the state disputes CDC counts of over 20k new cases per day, they aren’t disputing it by much. The Florida Department of Health places the current average count at 18,795 cases per day.COVID-19 is still hitting the U.S. hard, with the Delta variant being described as “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” In Florida, actions taken to limit precautions are being linked to an undesirable outcome: increasing hospitalizations, and in particular, a rise in pediatric cases.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is fighting against the right of school districts to enforce mask mandates for their students. He’s dismissed the boom in cases as “COVID season,” despite also acknowledging that he didn’t expect so many hospitalizations, and suggested that Floridians protect themselves by getting vaccinated, even as he pushed back with a ban on mask mandates.

Of course, the most glaringly obvious problem with this is that the young children who are currently being admitted to hospitals and ICUs can’t be vaccinated yet.

Now, the state has been forced to request additional ventilators from a Federal stockpile for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. According to Local10, Florida has requested 300 ventilators “to replace expended state stores.” Meanwhile, while the state disputes CDC counts of over 20k new cases per day in the state, they aren’t disputing it by much. The Florida Department of Health places the current average count at 18,795 cases per day.

DeSantis’ role in this has netted him the nickname DeathSantis, and earned a trending hashtag: #DeSantisVariant.

It’s not only Florida that’s being hit hard and having to request outside resources. According to NBC5, Texas — where Republican Governor Greg Abbot is also fighting to prevent local mask mandates and other precations — has had to request medical personnel from other states, as well as asking hospitals to suspend elective procedures in order to keep beds open for COVID-19 patients.