A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday’s Ingraham Angle warned against what he called media “misinformation” about the fight against COVID-19, using a roundtable with hospital CEOs from earlier in the day to blame the media for getting details wrong again.
This time around, DeSantis said the media had a narrative that was wrong on both hospital capacity and the risk posed to children by COVID-19. And that narrative could prove harmful to public health.
“It’s important, when media’s spreading this misinformation and actually lying, it could deter someone from going in to get care for things like heart problems and strokes,” DeSantis said.
“I understand the media’s got narratives they’re trying to spin. I understand they’ve got a partisan agenda. But just be careful when you’re spreading that misinformation that people somehow think that they shouldn’t go in,” DeSantis said, saying the CEOs on the roundtable urged people to come into the hospitals.
“They’re running and they’re running well,” DeSantis said, on a day when the Florida Hospital Association reported yet another record high in COVID-19 hospitalizations at 12,408.
“We have had a summer wave. We have seen significant increases in COVID patients. But as the CEO of Tampa General Hospital (John Couris) said, that’s 10 to 15% of their total census,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis also slammed the media again for raising concerns over potential impacts of schooling on the youth amid the delta variant surge.
“Well, they did this last summer when we went to in person schooling,” DeSantis said. “Oh man. They were saying all kinds of stuff. And we had a very successful school year.”
DeSantis also staked out his position on masks, yet again, saying he wouldn’t ban them, though personally he is not a fan.
“If certain parents feel they want their kids doing that, we’re not going to prevent it,” the Governor said.
Though DeSantis was able to frame the roundtable as he chose on the Ingraham Angle, even CEOs whose quotes could be curated advised caution.
“There’s no question, Governor, that our ERs are full, and we are busy. We have the most COVID patients that we’ve ever had through the pandemic,” Couris said.
The Governor also cast doubt on vaccines.
DeSantis noted “we have seen a lot of fully vaccinated people test positive,” an assertion which led to gentle pushback from one empaneled doctor.
After DeSantis’ claim, Orlando Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Ralls said those numbers are actually low.
“Despite the information that’s coming out about people that are fully vaccinated still getting COVID, those numbers are low, number one. And, they are absolutely still in a better situation than they would have been had they gotten COVID without the vaccine,” Ralls said.
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Florida Politics’ Capitol Reporter Haley Brown contributed reporting.
32 comments
Brenda
August 4, 2021 at 11:26 pm
Absolutely right! I have heart problems, an also have a pacemaker, the other night i had bad heart pains, and i live alone, I decided to stay away from hospitals at all cost , plus i also have emphysema and i cant wear a mask, its hard enough to breathe without a mask, i did get my vaccine but not because i was scared of the virus, i got the vaccine because the president went on live tv and said, if u dont want to wear a mask, then get the shot an u dont have to wear a mask, he can’t take back what he said, because of him taking back his word,i will not except anymore vaccines,maybe next time he will word things differently, u cant take this vaccine out of my arm an u cant take your word back either,keep your word ! NO MASK FOR VACCINATED PEOPLE!
Tom
August 4, 2021 at 11:49 pm
Sorry Brenda, the media elites and the Dem aristocrats do not ’care about your liberty, health and freedom. I had a friend who needed hip replacement in south Florida, could not walk in Great pain in 2020.
Was scheduled but had it suspended for a month with lockdown. Hope you get better. Bless u.
Matthew Lusk
August 5, 2021 at 3:03 pm
Why are patients with colds displacing people with serious illnesses? Because hospital administrators only care about about the bottom line and the millions of dollars in tax money they receive from admitting patients through the fake PCR scam!
Sissy
August 18, 2021 at 10:11 pm
That’s one of the most off the wall statements I’ve ever heard since the start of the Pandemic! I work in 2 hospitals. This is just a downright false statement about money being all they care about. Are you for real? PCR’s are not a scam & Covid is not a cold! Sars family yes…but doesn’t sound like you know what that means. I agree, get an education man!
Michele Merwin
August 5, 2021 at 6:55 pm
Obviously you are not well educated! Science changes and with it so do the actions we need to take! Get an education!
Tom
August 4, 2021 at 11:40 pm
Total media disinformation campaign in full tilt in Florida over past 5 to 7 days. Florida Politics at the center of it unfortunately. A.G. how many times can you directly quote Fried and personally ridicule the Governor verbally. Nikki Fraud Stalks the Governor and attacks him personally and this publication prints it, shameful. There is no limit to how much hate FP will be accept. It’s been shameful the past several days. Glad America’s Governor set it straight. Yes, FP got it right. He is America’s Governor!
Rob
August 5, 2021 at 7:27 am
The media wants you in perpetual lockdown.
Tom Palmer
August 5, 2021 at 8:39 am
It’s hard to know what media reports he is talking about when his comments are so generalized. There was a discussion on Reliable Sources Sunday that criticized some media for making too much of breakthrough infections, which are rare and rarely serious. Other than that it is DeSantis’ same old ranting and raving and running for something or other.
tjb
August 5, 2021 at 8:39 am
A perfect example of irony? DeSantis goes on Laura Ingraham’s show to discredits the media for misinformation on Covid 19.
Ingraham has been one of the worst talking heads for misinformation on Covid 19 in the media. Why didn’t he call her out for being a liar?
Sonja Fitch
August 5, 2021 at 8:57 am
Just Fing blaming! That is all Duffus and knows how to do! Dude you the Governor ! You are the one taking the bs as fact! Duffus Desantis is willingly slaughtering Floridians and now our CHILDREN!
Ed
August 5, 2021 at 9:04 am
Your doofus President and his incompetent side kick are on track to allow over two million illegals from well over 150 countries into the USA and God knows what variant they are introducing to those of a that leave here legally. 2022 can’t come soon enough. Bye bye Pelosi hand over that gavel.
JenM
August 5, 2021 at 11:21 pm
Amen!
Tom
August 5, 2021 at 11:28 pm
Amen, Hallelujah , Amen.
Brad Turek
August 5, 2021 at 9:57 am
De Santis is a liar, just like Trump who perpetually lied about the virus which resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 people. Trump didn’t even let people know he got vaccinated while he was pushing anti-vax disinformation. De Santis should tell the truth. He knows masks and vaccines are necessary to stop this virus. He is just playing with his easily influenced followers to score political points by talking about “liberties” and “rights”. He should be telling the truth and mandating vaccines and masks until this virus is under control. This virus is only going to get worse with incompetent leadership like DeSantis.
Tom
August 5, 2021 at 11:24 pm
Incompetent is Hillary Clinton u moron.What bout Kamala’s incompetence . She can’t even answer a question. She laughs. Such a lightweight.
K Paquette
August 7, 2021 at 6:13 pm
Desantis is also using illegal immigrants as a scapegoat.
Illegals are coming to Florida because they know they can get jobs. His useless buy in to E-Verify allows for all kinds of private businesses to get out of it.
Since he isn’t doing his job, he blames Biden for the illegals getting into Florida and the low effect they might have on the Delta Virus that Desantis is spreading.
Thomas O'Laughlin
August 13, 2021 at 8:52 am
Amen to that! No Amen to brainwashed Fox News Moonies who never heard of messenger RNA before they were told it will change their DNA , or direct their microchips to be controlled by the goverment and Bill Gates. Maybe they should have swig of Trump’s disinfectant.
Dan
August 5, 2021 at 10:58 am
Covid 19………….aka the flu. All these libs taking the fetal position in every aspect of their lame ass lives! Do us all a favor and grow a pair.My wife and I have both had the china virus and we are still here.Its not the end of the world by any standard unless you have a D next to your name. Btw 54 yrs old smoking for 35 yrs
Covid 2
August 5, 2021 at 12:11 pm
I don’t know how many people have died from the China virus, but 625,000 Americans have died from the Covid 19 virus.
Matthew Lusk
August 5, 2021 at 3:10 pm
I call b.s.
Tjb
August 5, 2021 at 3:46 pm
Q told me that you are BS. Is it BS that over 625,000 Americans have died.from Covid 19. Are you running for HD 5 in the election cycle?
zhombre
August 5, 2021 at 5:28 pm
Cute. I guess you do not subscribe or invest any credibility in the Wuhan leak theory of Covid origin. LOL.
Tjb
August 5, 2021 at 6:09 pm
Only a possibility, like trump is a money launderers or Lusk is a QAnon conspiracist. Also, It is called Covid not China.
zhombre
August 5, 2021 at 7:48 pm
It is the Chinese or Wuhan virus, denoting its origin. Whether you like it or not. It remains a strong possibility, and probably a fact unlike the other crap you cited, but crap is your primary form of articulation.
Bob
August 5, 2021 at 12:30 pm
Covid19 whether you believe it or not is here to stay. Vaccines will control it rather well but you need to get it first. Even so Covid will be with us in one form or another for years to come. We all need to do our part to gain our freedom back. Holding out on the vaccines isn’t the way it just takes us backwards. We are in another wave right now just after we got some of our freedoms back and that should say something. Those that are telling us personal choice and saying it’s about your freedom. All they are really doing is taking us backwards and that’s removing our freedoms. So in a nutshell help us to get our freedoms back. Take the shot. Throw politics aside it only matters that we get this under control. When I was a kid I remember all the Polio survivors and there were lots of them. They all suffered daily and limbs were almost rendered almost useless from the long term effects. You don’t see that anymore thanks to a vaccine.
Matthew Lusk
August 5, 2021 at 3:11 pm
Socialized medicine and theft will stay as long as there are Marxist in power.
Scott Bryan
August 5, 2021 at 12:36 pm
Der Dwarf doing everything he can to deflect his abject failure.
Matthew Lusk
August 5, 2021 at 2:57 pm
OK John Courier, you say you want to be transparent. Tell us much your Tampa hospital has made from tabulating fake pcr data. Busted, you white collar criminal.
Michael ODonohue
August 6, 2021 at 3:41 pm
You two are entertainig to say the least. Your number of deaths 625,000 from Covid. Where is that information so I can look it up? The CDC says only 6 percent are covid only deaths. I guess the math on something like that would be around 10,412,500 died do to Covid-19 aka the Chineese virus as a contributing factor. Lock the door and dont touch nothing, dont breath either. The real Pandemic is the poison people are swallowing. Never Trust the media. Dont get caught up in social media algorithems.
Andrew Finn
August 7, 2021 at 3:23 pm
Listening to misinformation COULD be hazardous to your health. Listening to Emperor DeSantis WILL be hazardous to your health.
Joe Millet
August 10, 2021 at 3:45 pm
Desantis is simply panderer, not a leader.
Sissy
August 18, 2021 at 10:12 pm
That’s one of the most off the wall statements I’ve ever heard since the start of the Pandemic! I work in 2 hospitals. This is just a downright false statement about money being all they care about. Are you for real? PCR’s are not a scam & Covid is not a cold! Sars family yes…but doesn’t sound like you know what that means. I agree, get an education man!
Comments are closed.