Not at all. I firmly believe they are committed to doing whatever they can to making the current administration look poor while simultaneously ignoring all of the things that the administration is doing well. That's the textbook definition of "driving a narrative".
"DeSantis for the win" - Joins Rumble, the haven for white supremacists and QAnon conspiracists. DeSantis embraces YouTube alternative as conservatives battle Big Tech Toronto-based video-sharing platform Rumble launched in 2013 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fl...ernative-rumble-conservatives-battle-big-tech
Oh look... the State of Florida claims it cannot provide vaccination data from most of its counties. But the counties say they provided the data to the state. What a finely run state DeSantis has... Florida health records show spotty vaccination data at state level FDOH says data for 51 Florida counties was not available https://www.clickorlando.com/news/l...-show-spotty-vaccination-data-at-state-level/ Coronavirus vaccination records show detailed information for all of Florida’s 67 counties may not be readily available. News 6 submitted a public records request with the Florida Department of Health on Jan. 12 asking for a list of ZIP codes belonging to people who had been vaccinated along with the date they received their shot. The request was designed to produce records from the first group of vaccinations in December to the current date. The FDOH responded 97 days later. Out of the 67 Florida counties requested in the public records request, FDOH produced records for only 16 counties. “Please note, there are no records responsive for other counties,” explained Kendra Washington, Public Records Manager for the Florida Department of Health’s Office of the General Counsel. She did not respond to questions about why there were no other records. In Central Florida, records were only available for Orange and Lake counties out of 10 counties in the region. In Lake County, FDOH produced only one document which showed a cumulative total of people who had received a coronavirus vaccine and their ZIP code, but it was dated March 3. In contrast, the numbers produced for Orange County were extensive, and they dated back to Dec.15, when some of the first people in the county received their shot. However, some of the records for days afterward appeared to be missing. Some of the records broke down vaccinations by demographics, while most did not. Some dates had duplicate entries with different vaccination data entered. For example, there were two files provided for Jan. 25, and both had different numbers of people vaccinated in each ZIP code. News 6 asked FDOH representatives from the counties that were absent from the public records what they were required to report to the state and why their data might not have been included. Officials from some counties responded, explaining they were required to report all of their COVID-19 vaccination data to the Florida Shots web portal. “We report all of our vaccinations within 24 hours into Florida Shots (per requirement); we have not created reports (records) that break COVID vaccination data down into ZIP code level data,” wrote Christy Jergens with the Florida Department of Health in Marion County. “The Department of Health in Volusia County reports all vaccination data daily to the Florida Department of Health’s Central Office,” wrote a representative from FDOH in Volusia County. “Data requests related to ZIP code level COVID-19 vaccination/cases must be reviewed by our Central Communications Office.” They could not explain why their numbers were not handed over.
Younger people in Florida, Republicans delaying day of herd immunity https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story...ublican-men-root-covid-standstill/7277037002/ The light at the end of the tunnel got a little dimmer this past week on the COVID-19 front. With the one-and-done Johnson & Johnson vaccine put on hold in the United States because of reports it caused blood clots in six women, new studies show other impediments to getting to the Holy Grail of normalcy, which is herd immunity to the coronavirus. The two groups that are often the most vocal about breaking free from the shackles of the COVID-19 pandemic are now part of the cause for its lingering malaise in the U.S.: young adults and Republicans, new data shows. And Florida is leading the charge. The Sunshine State ranked among the states with the highest COVID-19 infection rates for younger residents in 2020, according to a new study from a researcher at Florida Atlantic University. Florida counties with younger populations experienced higher COVID-19 infection rates among residents under 25, according to the study conducted by Patrick Bernet, an associate professor of health administration in FAU’s College of Business. The study was published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. It also revealed that the younger counties had higher infection, emergency room and hospitalization rates among residents over age 64 — suggesting that Gen Z was carrying the deadly virus back to Grandma and Grandpa. Older counties experienced reduced infection rates for all ages, Bernet found. Two 20-somethings eating brunch outside of Palm Beach Bagel in Boca Raton on Sunday said many people in their age group are reluctant to get the vaccine. Both asked to withhold their last names because they were in town on business. Dylan, 23, of Sarasota, said he can't wait to get the vaccine but that many of his friends are enthralled with one conspiracy or another. "A lot of people fall victim to things they see on social media," he said. Narina, 22, who was in town from San Francisco, said she has friends tell her they aren't getting the vaccine because they think it can cause infertility, among other reasons. "I was really excited myself to get vaccinated," she said. "It was one step closer to normal life." It's been two weeks since Gov. Ron DeSantis opened vaccine availability to anyone 18 and older. However, just 33.5% of Florida residents who received the first of the two-dose vaccine were ages 16 to 44, a Palm Beach Post analysis of state health department reports published Saturday shows. ernet said age-specific messaging can help reduce the pandemic’s toll, he said. “There has been no concerted effort to communicate just how dangerous each single infection is — no matter the person’s age, race, income or gender,” he said. Palm Beach Mayor Dave Kerner last week reminded young adults that COVID can kill them and that the virus can have lasting effects on their health. "We have no idea how long these effects last, and that's a very scary proposition," he said Bernet also found in his research that former President Donald Trumpʼs vote share in Florida was associated with higher infection rates for all. A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed that 45 percent of Republicans “don’t plan” on getting a vaccine. This was echoed by a Monmouth University survey that showed that 43 percent of Republicans “likely will never" get a shot. DeSantis previously blamed vaccine hesitancy on President Joe Biden, but last week turned on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Republican said the CDC’s insistence on restrictions even among those vaccinated has discouraged people from getting the jab, calling it a “huge blunder.” “When you tell people, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is important, you should go get the vaccine, but you still have to social distance. You can’t do this. You can’t do that. You can’t eat at restaurants,’” he said. Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio last week attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, at a congressional hearing, saying his pandemic guidelines are violating Americans' liberties. Fauci told CNN on Sunday that Jordan's remarks were frustrating because it is largely Republicans who don't want to get vaccinated, citing one of the polls. "The way you get rid of those restrictions is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly and as expeditiously as possible," he said. "On the one hand, they want to be relieved of the restrictions. But on the other hand, they don't want to get vaccinated. It just almost doesn't make any sense." Paula Prudente, a retired educator in West Palm Beach who volunteers for the Republican Party, said she hasn’t gotten the vaccine. “I’m not planning to until they do some research,” she said. “The government doesn’t have a constitutional right to force people to wear masks or get a vaccine.” Prudente said Republicans are refusing to get a vaccine because they are “educated people who do their research versus people who don’t.” Florida health officials reported Sunday that 7,934,016 residents have received at least one shot and 5,012,332 are fully vaccinated. Palm Beach County is hovering around 25% of its residents fully vaccinated The state's daily first-time positivity rate was 8.68% on Sunday as compared to 6.87% the previous day. Palm Beach County's positivity rate also jumped to 8.24%. Health officials say a rate down under 5% shows that the virus is under control. The deadly respiratory illness has claimed the lives of 35,109 people in the state as of Sunday, a 35-person increase from the day before. Palm Beach County's death toll remained at 2,717. Florida reported 6,834 new COVID cases for a total of 2,168,901 cases of the coronavirus. Palm Beach County saw 491 new cases. On the good news front, the Johnson & Johnson pause is no longer affecting reach-out to underserved communities, including farmworkers. After reviewing its vaccine supply, the state opened up its mobile vaccination schedule over the weekend. Five sites were planned for Monday visits in South Florida, including one in West Palm Beach at Feeding South Florida, 1751 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.
You're a total shithead, Spike. Florida is one of two remaining states that didn't require out of state vendors to collect taxes on internet sales. Meaning 48 other states did, and Florida just became the 49th. But you don't mention that, do ya. Missouri is the only remaining state. You're a big fan of Missouri, are ya? Clown.
COVID-19 cases in Florida since the spring break have surged and deaths from new variants are mounting https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-variants-of-concern-covid-19-cases-surge-spring-break-2021-4 Florida's cases of "variants of concern" surged since the spring break peak, the Orlando Sentinel reported. There were 5,177 cases involving those variants as of Thursday — six times higher than mid-March. One health expert said, https://www.insider.com/miami-beach-spring-break-photos-state-of-emergency-2021-3 "This is kind of what a lot of public health folks have been afraid of." The number of coronavirus cases that involve "variants of concern" have surged in Florida since the peak of spring break. Florida Department of Health figures show that, as of Thursday, there were 5,177 cases that involved variants of concern in the state — six times higher than what was there in mid-March, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the term "variants of concern" for mutations of the coronavirus that can spread more easily or be more deadly, or that appear to make current vaccines less effective. It has identified five variants of concern, and the Sentinel reported that all five were found in Florida in the past few weeks. These cases put 122 people in hospital, and 31 of those have died, the Sentinel reported. The Sentinel obtained the figures through a lawsuit it filed against the Florida Department of Health. Zinzi Bailey, a social epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told the Sentinel that the outcome is what health experts feared. During the annual spring break, Florida party hot spots were overrun with mainly maskless young people. Miami Beach eventually declared a state of emergency and set a curfew, and police arrested hundreds. "This is kind of what a lot of public health folks have been afraid of, and why we're trying to emphasize the need for continued caution as we move forward," said Bailey. She also said that it can't be known for sure if the spike is directly due to spring break, or a lack of restrictions more generally, but that it looks likely. "Whether we can link any of these rises to spring break, up to a point, we're doing a little bit of speculation "But from a basic logic standpoint, we would anticipate that people coming from all across the country who might be exposed to different kinds of folks, whether that's in their hometown or in the airport, it's always going to be a possibility." She said that letting the coronavirus spread could also form new, dangerous mutations to form, in addition to the ones already discovered abroad and imported. "My biggest fear is that, if we become more lax with our masking and our social distancing, we will actually start creating our own variant." Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US's top infectious disease expert, blamed the surge in cases across the US at the end of March on the premature ending of restrictions in some parts of the country, including travel around spring break. Miami's law enforcement said earlier this month that there were large crowds in the city because people wanted to find a place with fewer restrictions.