Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vice President Mike Pence tried Thursday to assure residents that Florida is responding effectively to the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of cases continues to soar and some hospitals are having to halt non-emergency inpatient surgeries.
While Pence contended that the state was in a “much better place” to respond to the surge in cases because of increased testing and availability of protective equipment, he acknowledged that work needed to be done to “flatten the curve.”
“No one wants to see these numbers where they are or no one wants to see them go up,” Pence said during an appearance in Tampa.
Pence traveled to the state with some of the nation’s top health officials. He met with DeSantis just hours after the state announced another 10,109 positive COVID-19 test results, bringing the total number of infections in Florida to 169,106. As of Thursday morning, 3,617 Floridians had died of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
Also, an additional 10,450 residents had tested positive for the antibodies associated with the virus as of June 25. Hospital admissions are increasing, and about 17 percent of the state’s adult intensive-care unit beds were open and available for use Thursday.
DeSantis has downplayed the rising COVID-19 numbers and inpatient hospitalizations, but Pence announced that the state had asked the federal government for help with “medical personnel.”We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Orlando Weekly. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Orlando Weekly, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.
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