Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bemoaned the COVID-19 “hysteria” gripping other states and said mitigation measures like cloth masks are likely ineffective against the latest variant during a news conference on Monday.
“In terms of Florida, you look [at] what’s going on in other states, they’re letting hysteria drive them to doing really damaging things. We thought that people had learned,” said the Republican governor, according to The Daily Beast. “They’re closing schools, they’re doing things that should not be done. That is not the way you deal with this.”
Mr. DeSantis said children, in particular, “do not need to be doing any crazy mitigation” as some parts of the country consider remote instruction.
“Just let them be kids,” Mr. DeSantis said. “I think it’s pretty clear, a lot of this mitigation, it hasn’t worked. Period.”
“You even see some of these TV doctors on CNN admitting that cloth masks are not going to stop — protect against omicron. Simply putting cloth over and thinking that somehow that is going to provide good protection, that’s just not accurate,” he added.
Mr. DeSantis accused the Biden administration of constraining the supply of monoclonal antibodies that have been at the center of his response to COVID-19.
Two of the three available monoclonals are not effective against the omicron variant of the coronavirus, prompting the Biden administration to scramble for more doses of a GlaxoSmithKline version — sotrovimab — that does work.
But Mr. DeSantis said his state is still trying to kick the delta variant, too.
“Omicron isn’t the only variant out there,” he said.
Florida weathered a brutal wave of the delta variant earlier this year and, like other parts of the country, it is seeing a surge in cases amid the omicron wave, though its hospitalization situation isn’t as bad as in northern states.
However, Holy Cross Health Hospital in Fort Lauderdale said it had to temporarily shut its labor and delivery unit due to staffing problems, forcing expectant mothers to find services elsewhere.
“Due to the COVID-19 surge, Holy Cross Health has reached critical staffing levels in Labor and Delivery. In the best interest of patient safety, the Labor and Delivery unit is on diversion until further notice. The NICU and Post-Partum remain open,” the hospital said in a statement.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
