A press secretary employed by the state can do either one of two things when receiving an email from a reporter with a question. Either she can respond to the email clarifying the governor's position or not respond. If she does not respond then the paper may state "The governor's office has not responded to our query at the time this was published" or something similar. The response of taking the email as a state employee, putting it out on Twitter and urging a mob of people to harass the reporter for asking the question is not one of the proper responses. This should be obvious to any rational person.
One of the reasons she's so popular is because she doesn't tolerate the usual bullshit and goes on the offensive. People watching go "about time someone called the left wing media on their crap". So yeah, what you hate (unsurprisingly) is the reason we love her. DeSantis supports her and he's immensely popular. So no one really gives two shits about what you as North Carolina resident, or the whining left wing outlets you support think.
Politifact is one of the most dishonest organizations built on left narratives that claims to be a "fact checker".
As expected.... the DeSantis administration could not even obtain and report accurate Covid data for the NFL teams in Florida during 2020. Putting the entire league at risk. Audit: COVID-19 data on Florida's three NFL teams 'incomplete', 'inaccurate' https://www.jacksonville.com/story/...-incomplete-inaccurate-audit-says/7625424001/ An operational audit released this month by the State of Florida Auditor General suggests that COVID-19 test results for the state's three NFL teams in 2020 may not have been done in a complete, accurate and timely manner, if at all. “It appears that the NFL players’ test results were not always reported in Merlin, or were not timely reported in Merlin,” the audit states. Merlin is the system used by the state Department of Health to collect COVID-19 data in the state. The first four pages of the 29-page report outlines findings, background and recommendations of the audit. It next goes into Part 1 of the audit on Page 5: "Analysis of COVID-19 Associated Death records." But on Page 6, under "Part 2: Accuracy and Completeness of Merlin Data", the NFL data comes in. On pages 7-8, it states: “The Department did not routinely perform data analyses to assess the completeness of all reported test results. Given the anticipated predictability of test result reporting for professional athletes due to league-established participation and testing protocols, we analyzed the reported results of the COVID-19 tests conducted by the three National Football League (NFL) teams headquartered in the State.” After that, it has a footnote that states: “Our analysis was to assess the completeness of the data reported in Merlin and not for the purpose of evaluating the NFL COVID-19 testing protocols or determining team compliance with those protocols.” Dolphins had most COVID-19 tests in July-September time frame The report specifically discusses the time frame between July 2020 and September 2020. A bar chart, broken down by team and week, shows from July 19, 2020, to Sept. 27, 2020, the Miami Dolphins reported the most COVID-19 tests, with 838; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were next with 545; and the Jacksonville Jaguars had the fewest, at 431. The Dolphins had the most over the course of a week — 87 during the week of Sept. 6, 2020. The Bucs had the fewest in a week, reporting just 14 during the first week reported, beginning July 19, 2020. The team never registered below 49 after that. The report goes on to note: “Our review of COVID-19 testing data found that, from the three teams, 39 players on at least one game-day roster during the period September 13, 2020, through October 4, 2020, had no tests reported in Merlin and 11 practice squad players during the same period had no tests reported in Merlin.” Here’s where one of the issues arises. The report further states: “In response to our audit inquiry, Department management indicated that COVID-19 test results for players without a Florida residence were to be sent to their state of residence, and that state was to forward the results to the Department; however, that may not have always happened. “Complete and accurate information related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including information by key demographic variables, is important to government officials and the general public for timely and appropriately responding to the pandemic. The performance of practical and available edit checks and analyses would better ensure the accuracy and completeness of collected information.” The NFL portion of the report concludes by recommending that "Department management take appropriate actions to ensure that public health data collected and reported is accurate and complete. Such actions should include the performance of edit checks and analyses, where practical and available, to detect errors, inconsistencies, and outliers in the data and efforts to resolve any issues noted.” Following the recommendation, the report then moves into its third part, “Contact Tracing,” and doesn’t mention the NFL again over the final 20 pages of the report. The report presented seven overall findings that assessed the state of Florida’s COVID-19 reporting data. Among them was that the data wasn’t fully accurate or complete, that technology needs to be better and access by those reporting needed to be limited to reduce the risk of tampering. The audit didn’t accuse the NFL of any wrongdoing, only raising questions about the accuracy and timeliness of the league's data reporting.
Yep... the Florida State Auditors report outlines the complete disinterest and failure of the DeSantis administration to accurately report Covid data early in the pandemic in 2020. This level of dereliction of government responsibilities can only be described as deliberate . Better data from Florida essential for pandemic control https://www.gainesville.com/story/o...th-agencies-fumble-fighting-covid/7584590001/ It didn't take an audit by the Florida auditor general to confirm what many of us suspected all along: Florida's COVID-19 pandemic data was, and most likely remains, flawed. The words "inaccurate" and "incomplete" are laced throughout the 30-page audit report, along with other descriptions that don't stir confidence. "The number of entities reporting data, apparent inaccurate or incomplete data reported to the state by those entities, and the lack of effective access controls in the systems used to gather data, impacted the state's ability to accurately report COVID-19 data at the beginning of the pandemic," the report said. FOR SUBSCRIBERS:Florida missed 17% of COVID deaths early in the pandemic, had incomplete info on cases, auditor says Florida undercounted COVID cases and deaths and botched analyzing and collecting test results, confirming the disinterested attitude of Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose anti-mask policies helped the virus spread. If authentic data is important to Florida health agencies, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Health and the Division of Emergency Management didn't show it — not to state auditors and certainly not to the public. With pandemic deaths in Florida now totaling more than 74,000, the DeSantis administration must do better. COVID-19 no longer strikes fear in the hearts of many Floridians. Gone are the long lines for coronavirus testing, the crowded ICUs, overworked medical staffs, and infected patients dying on hospital ventilators. Take a glimpse almost anywhere and you'll see a populace devoid of masks and not displaying any lingering concern about the virus. There should be concern. Last month the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,234 cases of hospitalized adults from COVID in Florida, an uptick from the March and December reports. Another sign of trouble: While the Omicron variant is milder than earlier Delta variant, new, more contagious Omicron subvariants have been found in the Southeast U.S., including in Miami-Dade County. FOR SUBSCRIBERS:COVID comeback: Much of Florida at high risk of straining hospitals; indoor masks urged With a more highly contagious virus still present, we can't afford a tepid response, much less to rely on shoddy data from the responsible state agencies. Bad data impacts how well public health agencies and the wider medical community can respond with effective care. Unfortunately, after the auditor general's office examined nearly 11.3 million lab test results and 730,000 documented COVID cases statewide, the auditors found much of the data lacking. If ever the adage "garbage in, garbage out" applied, it's here. For example, the report found a majority — 51.5% — of the 5.5 million plus COVID test results failed to identify a patient's race. Roughly 59% lacked ethnicity information and a much smaller but noticeable number, 75,828 results, had no indication of gender. Auditors found that a lab that received more than $5.4 million from the state in July and August of 2020 failed to include ID numbers or dates for administered COVID tests, which resulted in a number of tests not making it into public reports about the virus. There were other problems, including the failure to conduct initial contact tracing outreach; to routinely perform analyses to check the completeness of all reported test results; and to document that hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities reported their daily census counts on available beds, staffing needs, ventilators in use and face mask inventory. Throw in the need to limit access to technology to limit the risk of unauthorized data modification, and the challenges become crystal clear. The problem rests with the leadership priorities, perfectly illustrated by Gov. DeSantis' and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo's recently successful bullying of the Special Olympics. The state leaders threatened a $27.5 million fine for requiring participants to be vaccinated against COVID. They'd rather make that their priority than bolstering state resources to detect and fight this or any future pandemic. As for COVID data collection, limited government may sound good on the campaign trail but in the face of a public health crisis, a partisan talking point only goes so far. Florida's health agencies need to be able to function. The auditor's report went out of its way to praise "the great effort" made by the state employees in responding to the outbreak. In the face of bureaucratic limitations, they rose to the occasion. The same can't be said for those at the top.
"Florida undercounted COVID cases and deaths and botched analyzing and collecting test results, confirming the disinterested attitude of Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose anti-mask policies helped the virus spread." Once I got to this nonsense, it confirmed I was reading partisan bullshit and stopped reading.
The whole league at risk. Right, right. I remember when you told us there would be forfeits from COVID. Remember that? Good times.
This is sad - DeSantis and Ladapo are deliberately preventing children in Florida from getting vaccinated. By not ordering the vaccines, young children will not have access to Covid vaccines in Florida from pediatricians’ offices, children’s hospitals, pharmacies, community health centers, rural health clinics and other community-based organizations. Absolutely horrendous -- whatever happened to allowing parents to make their own decisions. You know, the old Republican talking point about parents rights and allowing parents to make healthcare & other decisions for their children. Florida only state yet to pre-order COVID vaccines for kids under 5 https://thehill.com/policy/healthca...to-pre-order-covid-vaccines-for-kids-under-5/ Florida is the only state in the country that has not pre-ordered from the federal government any COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5 and under, according to a source familiar with the situation. The White House initially made 10 million vaccines for young children available for states, tribes and other jurisdictions to pre-order in anticipation that the shots will get the green light from federal regulators. Florida’s delay, first reported by the Miami Herald, means that pediatricians’ offices, children’s hospitals, pharmacies, community health centers, rural health clinics and other community-based organizations won’t initially have access to the vaccines once they receive authorization. The Hill has reached out to the Florida Department of Health for comment. The doses were available in two separate tranches. Jurisdictions were able to pre-order 5 million doses combined of Pfizer and Moderna’s shots beginning June 3, and another 5 million were made available on June 8. The doses will be shipped when the Food and Drug Administration gives its authorization, which could come as early as today. An outside panel of Food and Drug Administration advisors recommended the agency authorize vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for kids ages 6 months to 5 years. An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will meet this weekend to issue its own recommendation. If the panel votes in the affirmative and the CDC director signs off, children could start to get vaccinated as early as Monday. In a statement, Florida’s Department of Health said it was actively choosing not to participate in the “convoluted” federal vaccine distribution process, “especially when the federal government has a track record of developing inconsistent and unsustainable COVID-19 policies.” According to the state Department of Health, doctors can order vaccines if they are in need, but so far there aren’t any orders for the youngest age group. Florida does not recommend healthy adolescent children get vaccinated against COVID-19, a policy that puts it at odds with every other state, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC. COVID-19 is now one of the top 10 causes of death for children ages 5 to 11, according to the CDC.