A.G. Gancarski
The Governor unceremoniously fired a data scientist who did key work on Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard weeks ago, yet the person’s piercing critique of the state’s approach to the virus fight continues.
Rebekah Jones, in comments Tuesday to CBS News, continued her critique of information from the state that she contends is less than accurate.
Jones countered Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ contentions on a number of fronts, including shifting rationales for what caused the spike in diagnoses in recent weeks, such as the young causing the spread.
While there has been an “increase overall,” in Southeast Florida (an epicenter of the virus), Jones noted that “we actually see a disproportionate number of the older population.”
“The median age … is four years older in Miami-Dade and Broward than the rest of the state,” Jones noted. “The areas where the largest volumes of the cases exist, there actually is an older population responsible for most of the surge.”
Trends in the South Florida hotspots mirror, or perhaps foreshadow, what is happening elsewhere. The median age of positive tests is creeping back up, now at 40 years of age, suggesting that community spread among younger populations is insinuating its way into more mature demographics. Comparatively, two weeks ago, half of the new cases were in people 33 and younger.
Young people are getting tested, Jones added, because of their propensity for exposure, being in “the type of jobs largely forced to reopen or lose their unemployment benefits.”
The “large influx of testing,” Jones added, reveals “a surge of cases that is extremely concerning and upsetting.”
“The surge of cases over last two weeks plus whatever from the July 4th weekend” makes Jones believe “we’re going to see something extremely worrying.”
The surge is real: as of the most recent numbers from the Florida Department of Health, 213,794 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in total in the state.
And the pace is speeding up.
Florida crossed 200,000 overall cases Sunday.
To get its first 100,000 cases, the state took 114 days. The second 100,000 took less than two weeks.
4 comments
Frankie M.
July 7, 2020 at 7:52 pm
Exponential growth? I say today we celebrate our Independence Day with a covid party!
martin
July 8, 2020 at 7:15 am
Death rate, Way down. Most recently calculated to be .04%.
Hospitalizations, Way down for COVID 19. Even though hospitals are between 75 and 85% full, COVID 19 cases are only about 15% of them.
Herd Immunity – Approaching. Since literally millions have had the disease and never suffered any symptoms.
Improved treatments – Hospital stays for COVID 19 are half as long as they were in early April.
Our emergency services were never overwhelmed as models predicted. Now we even have extra equipment such as ventilators and masks.
The shy is falling…..
Hester
July 8, 2020 at 7:22 am
You know, in most states when one hospital is “close to capacity” the patients are sent to another hospital. Last time I looked, Florida isn’t a deserted island. Oh, and please provide a number of deaths, asymptomatic cases and recoveries, which these screaming headlines always omit.
And, So far in July, roughly 65% of new infections have been diagnosed among those “18 to 40.” Oddly, that’s the same age group as protesters, rioters, and looters. Strange coincidence, don’t you think?
It would sure be helpful if “journalists” like Gancarski would learn to actually report truthful news, as opposed to writing politically correct media fluff scare stories.
Madalina
July 8, 2020 at 7:31 am
I was told by a health official if you test positive for covid, and go back the next week and test positive again,they count that as 2 cases. Go figure, sure would like to be told the truth instead of every news media having their own agenda on reporting.
Lets go further: If .014% of FL’s population is currently in a hospital due to COVID, this means that 99.996% of us are NOT currently in a hospital due to COVID. That seems like good news.
But there is more: CDC announced that COVID may no longer be a Pandemic because while cases have gone up, deaths have significantly declined.
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